Heart Seekers
by EnergyEmber
Summary: Nobodies... beings without emotions...without hearts. That will all change now... A prophecy put into play, a new organization formed and the race to recover the Nobodies' hearts commences. Will the heroes pull through in the end?
1. Chapter I

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters (but I do own the video games!)

It's ramble time: I do own all the original characters, they're all 'loosely' based off real life people (or you could say my friends lol). They helped me design the characters so I must give them credit (and one of them is typing this ramble for me haha). Umm...uhmmm...I'm the one writing the bulk of the story (I thought of the over all plot) but I get their opinions (meaning my friends) on just about everything I write and think of so yeah.. Please read and review!! (That would be a load of help). :

EnergyEmber: Why are you making faces at the readers!?!

Friend 1 (the typer): Because they're cute!!!

EnergyEmber: ...--

Friend 1 (the typer again): Hey now you're making faces!!

EnergyEmber: Let's just let them read the story now...Enjoy!

* * *

"Queen Minnie, Queen Minnie!" exclaim two small chipmunks, as they scurry into Disney Castle's courtyard. Where Queen Minnie and her companion, Daisy, are taking a walk, this peaceful morning. "Queen Minnie, someone has broken into the vault!" the chipmunks tell the Queen.

"Oh my" answers the mouse queen, in despair.

"My Queen, we should go inside. It is not safe out here" says Daisy as she try's to comfort the Queen. A crash is heard from inside, followed by a hooded figure running out into the courtyard. He is grasping a torn scroll close to his chest, as he rushes past the Queen and her companions, trying to escape his pursuers. In his frantic haste, his hood falls off, revealing a young boy's face, of 16 years, with short, light blond hair. Doing a quick turn, he stops facing Queen Minnie and his trackers. Flashing a wide grin at them, he disappears into the shadows.

"We need to report this to the King," say the two chipmunks, as they leave to check the damage.

"Oh, King Mickey please comes home," cries the Queen.

* * *

**ONE YEAR LATER**

* * *

It is the last day of a long school year, with exams out of the way; the students wait for the last bell to ring. Junior, Riley Manor is one of the students zoning out, waiting for summer to begin. She twirls her strawberry blonde hair, thinking about the upcoming activities she has planned for the summer, as the teacher talks about how she will miss them and what being a senior is all about. Thirty seconds left, riley begins counting down as she watches the second hand tick away. Ten, nine. Some of the girls begin to put their books away. Seven, six. The class continues to engage in their independent conversations. Four, three. Ignoring the teacher many students start to stand. Two. The second hand stops moving. She looks around to see if anyone else notice, and finds a class full of students, who are as still as statues. Riley stands up in shock, for not only is no one rushing out of the room, but it is dead silence. There is not even conversations flowing from the hall or neighboring classrooms. She backs away slowly towards the door, very confused. As she reaches the frame of the door, she surprisingly backs into something soft. She quickly turns around, to find herself not even a foot away from a tall man in a black coat. The coat has silver beads hanging from the zipper, with a hood covering his face. Riley begins to back away, keeping her green speckled violet colored eyes on his hidden face. However, she does not get too far, before the man grabs her wrist, dragging her out into the hall. 

"Hey, let go of me freak!" exclaims Riley, as she struggles to loosen his grip. Once he successfully drags her out into the hall, she spots another man a bit shorter then the first, wearing the same outfit.

"I may not know what's going on, but I 'm not going to let you kidnap me!" Riley says, kicking the man's leg as hard as she can. He loosens his grip and she is able to break free.

"What in the world was that for!" he exclaims, wincing slightly at the pain. Riley then gives him a questioning look, because not only does she, after getting a better look, recognize the coat he is wearing, but also his voice.

"Axel?" she questions, taking a step back. In response, the man lowers his hood, reviling a face of a man in his 20s, with red spiky hair.

"Wow, you really are an oracle, you even know who I am by the sound of my voice, and we never even ---- HEY, what are you doing!" he asks, for while he was talking, Riley walked up and started poking him.

"I'm making sure your real" she replies, backing off.

"How can you know who I am and not think I'm real!" he exclaims grabbing her wrist again.

"Hey let go, you don't have to be so aggressive!" Riley exclaims. All of a sudden foot steps can be heard coming from the neighboring classroom, its door flings open and out runs a girl, of 18, with extremely short blonde hair and sharp violet eyes.

"Artemis!" Riley says in surprise to see someone else unaffected by the frozen time.

"Riley, what's going on. Is that ... Axel?" Artemis asks in disbelief.

"Yes, ah... hold on" response Riley. Using her free hand she clutches the back of Axel's hand. She twists his hand away from her, forcing him to let go. In one swift motion, she twists his arm back; forcing Axel to bend down slightly, with his arm pined to his back. Riley, in turn, jumps back to Artemis' side.

"Nice move" states Artemis.

"Thanks, I don't take self-defense for nothing." replies Riley.

"Axel, it's time to go", the man behind Axel, in a laid back tone, now with a tall swirling dark vortex behind him.

"What about them?" asks Axel, after recollecting his composer. The unknown man just nods and steps into the black portal. Axel turns towards the teenage girls, grasping their arms as tight as possible. Before the girls can react, he drags them through the open portal, engulfing them in darkness.

* * *

Thanks for reading! The next one will be up before the end of June (you can count on that). If not you can come hunt me down and bash me with a keyblade for it! Hehe bye. 


	2. Chapter II

**Disclaimer: I don't own the original Kingdom Hearts characters or storyline**

**Here's the second chapters (the same person helped type again!! yay) anyways...I'm sorry I didn't make my quota of getting it up by the end of June. Writers block and studying for the ACT and writing my College Application essay, kept me busy. Well sorry again hope you enjoy my story :)**

* * *

A sharp pressure restricts Riley and Artemis' movements, as they speed through the thick darkness. A chilling stream of energy flows through their veins, wrapping around their skin. Axel's grip around their wrists tightens, as the girls are greeted by a bright, crystal hall. The girls hear the swirling portal close behind them, as Axel drags them down the hall. Reaching the third room on the right, Axel shoves the girls into the plain white room, and locks the door. The room consists of a simple table with two wooden chairs and a couch against the back wall.

"This can't be happening" Artemis says, as she passes around the room.

"Well, its happening" states Riley as she plops down on the beaten up couch, "and there is not much we can do about it."

"A character from a video game just kidnapped us, on the last day of school. How can you be so calm?!"

"I think the best thing to do right now is just go with it, until we learn more about our situation."

"True", Artemis plops down next to Riley, with a heavy sigh "but that doesn't change the fact that our _'situation'_ is virtually impossible."

The silver door creaks open and in walks two people, Axel and his earlier companion whose hood still covers his face. Axel leans against the front wall, while his hooded companion swings a chair to face the couch and sits down. The two girls stare intensely at the man, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, I do believe introductions are in order." the hooded man friendly states, "I am Ramses the leader of the new Organization 13, and I believe you are familiar with the original?" The man pauses, to observe their response, but the girls continue to stare, after exchanging a suspicious glance with each other. "And you have already met Axel", he continues, gesturing towards the red head behind him. "I'm sure you two have quit a few questions, but first I would like to know your names." The girls hesitate at first, allowing themselves time to read each other's eyes.

"I'm Riley Manor," states the smaller girl.

"Artemis Taylor", states the blonde, as she leans back on the couch cushions.

"Well, you girls seem anxious so I will get right to the point. You two are the long ago prophesized Oracles, who possess a rare and powerful gift. The ability to locate and return a heart, a Nobody's heart. I have brought you here to Castle Oblivion, to ask for your help. With your immense wisdom and strange skills, will you assist in this Organization's goal to become whole?" asks Ramses. Artemis and Riley just remain silent as they soak in the information. "We'll leave you to your thoughts for now", states Ramses as he stands and begins to walk to the door. "You will remain here, until you give me an answer. Just inform our comrade Demyx when you are ready; he will be guarding the door." Ramses says and with that, he walks out, with Axel, locking the door behind him. The girls wait a few moments, until they are positive that Ramses had left. They stare at one another in complete silence, until they cannot hold it in any longer. The two girls engage in a short laughing fit, trying desperately to keep their voices down.

"I can't believe that they actually think that we have special powers and untold wisdom," says Artemis.

"Yeah, but what should our answer be?" asks Riley as she regains her breath.

"No, would be the safe answer, except for the fact that we don't know what they would do to us if we refuse."

"But if we say yes, we will have to go along with their plans, pretending we have some special gift."

"Yeah, and who knows how long that would last." Sighing in unison, each girl becomes absorbed in her own thoughts.

* * *

Ramses sits down in a reclining chair, in the corner of his room. Lowering his hood, he releases a deep sight of relief as he pushes his light blonde hair from his face. In turn, Axel goes and leans against the far wall, as a wide grin forms on Ramses's lips.

"Phase one, complete!" exclaims Ramses, placing his hands behind his head.

"You're such a child," mumbles Axel. "How much do you trust this so called Prophecy? I mean you have degraded this Organization, into asking some random teenage girls for help."

"I thought you didn't care about the Organization, Axel, and besides, this Prophecy is the real deal. It comes directly from good magic, the sorcerer Yensid predicted it himself," states Ramses.

"It's just that it took you a whole year to decipher its message and locate two of the five Oracles. Who knows how long it will take them to find a heart."

"In my three years of being a Nobody, I have studied many different approaches to recovering a Nobody's heart. However, this approach appears to have the most likely success rate. And-" A knock at the door, followed by Demyx walking in, interrupts Ramses's thought.

"The Oracles have made a decision."

* * *

**Well thank you for reading my story!! Please review if you could and yeah...wheee! Thanks again bye bye until next time!**


	3. Chapter III

**I AM SORRY, I AM SORRY, I AM SORRY! **

**(runs behind Co–author Torchwood007)**

**I know I said I would have this up months ago, but one thing led to another and the next thing I knew it was January. **

**(gets surrounded by angry fans with key blades)**

**(fight scene censored)**

**Well, now that that is out of the way, it time for me to introduce my first co-author: Torchwood007 (crickets)**

**T: Grrrrr…… (Torchwood007 glares a death glare at the audience)**

**(applause)**

**E: please don't kill the few loyal fans I have**

**T: …fine…**

**E: Torch wrote the ending to this chapter and you will soon see more chapters from her, OH! And don't forget to check out her stuff ….. as soon as she posts it….**

**Now please enjoy….. R& R**

* * *

_Flames shot up from all corners of the ground, the increase of light blinds Sora as the room fills with intense heat. Just as quickly as they had appeared, the flames dissipated leaving the room, void of all Nobodies, except one._

_"Axel" exclaims Sora, running to the redhead's side, "You're… fading away"._

_"Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being in to an attack. You know what I mean?" says Axel, "Not that Nobodies actually have beings … right? Anyway, I digress."_

_"Go, find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot … Sorry for what I did to her." Axel chokes. _

_"When we find her, you can tell her that yourself," responds Sora._

_"Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one," says Axel, letting out a weak chuckle._

_"Axel what were you trying to do?" Sora questions._

_"I wanted to see Roxas. He was the only one I liked…," answers Axel, "He made me feel like I had a heart. It's kind of funny; you make me feel the same… Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go."_

_"Axel…" The Nobody fades away, his body and mind leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy alone in the multi-colored void. The trio proceeds through the swirling green and black vortex that Axel created for them with his last bit of strength, leaving the Betwixt And Between empty once more._

_Silence echoes through the gateway between Twilight Town and The World That Never Was, as a teen in a white coat enters the void. His presence is unknown to Sora, Donald, and Goofy as the group leaves through the portal to The World That Never Was. The boy slowly walks to the spot where the Nobody Axel once lay, before he dissipated. He extends his arms over the spot and releases black and white energy. Without touching the ground, his energy begins to merge with a surrounding red aura. The two bolts of energy converge and a form materializes. It resembles a man in his 20s with spiked red hair, wearing a long black coat lying on the floor. It is the Nobody Axel, solid once again as if the battle never took place. Axel slowly opens his eyes and looks around the room, his gaze stopping on the figure hovering over him. _

_"Why aren't I dead?"_

_"I revived you," answered the teen._

_"Why would you do a stupid thing like that?" Axel asks, as he begins to pick himself up off the floor._

_"Heh, I've come to ask you to join me, in my search to become whole. I could use a Nobody with more experience in dealing with those of the light."_

_"Not interested" says Axel, now fully standing, his back toward the boy._

_"What if I said I know of a way for you to see Roxas again?" Axel turns to face the teen, noting the clear differences in their heights._

_"Still not interested"_

_"Ahhh, come on! What else do I need to say to get you to help me!?"_

_"Whoa! Split personality much. You could start by telling me your name."_

_"I'm …R-ramses"_

_"Axel, commit it to memory." He ruffles Ramses' light blond hair, in a brotherly way._

_"Don't forget, I'm your superior." They both end up chuckling at the comment and Axel agrees to go with Ramses._

Silence echoes through the room in Castle Oblivion as the captives, Riley and Artemis, absorb Ramses' tale. "Ok, we'll help you" says Riley, and Artemis nods in agreement despite the scowl across her face.

"But, with a few conditions!" says Artemis "You have to let us train in private whenever we want."

"Deal" says Ramses, his voice filled with the sense of victory.

He stands to leave, but not before whispering something to Axel. In turn, Axel swiftly grabs the girls' wrists and warps out of the room. Artemis and Riley reappear in another unfamiliar white room. This one consists of three queen size beds, grey carpeting, three Victorian-style wardrobes separating the beds, and a long dining table filled with a variety of delectable treats. The aromas of the edible display, varying from salads to sundaes, bring the girls back to the reality of their unreal situation. They are extremely hungry. Heading straight to the table, they both grab plates and give into their appetites.

"I thought we were supposed to be prisoners," says Riley, scooping herself out a bowl of jell-o. "But they're treating us like honored guests."

"It's probably some sort of ploy to get us to cooperate or to lower our guard," responds Artemis, as she takes a bite of her fried chicken.

"Hmm… I wonder who Ramses' somebody is …"

"I don't think Ramses is his real name. There's no X, so it doesn't fit the Nobody pattern."

"Maybe he isn't a Nobody at all, or maybe he's afraid we'll recognize him."

"Well what ever his motives are, it will take more then a nice room and a fancy dinner to win my trust."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artemis shifts her shoulders, adjusting her black full-length coat, grateful to be out of her uniform yet irritated at the Organization's choice of attire. Wearing an identical outfit, Riley lies on the ground listening to her companion rant. "I fail to see how anyone can fight with such a bulky coat," Artemis complains, pacing around the empty white room.

"I find the fabric sort of light," says Riley. Artemis stops, glares at her friend, then shifts her coat's position once more before continuing her walk. "If you can't sit still, maybe we should actually attempt to 'train'. We haven't really done anything since we woke up this morning."

Artemis snatches the piece of paper, with a copy of the prophecy written on it, from Riley and begins to read:

… from the land

Where even Heartless dare not tread.

Three oracles of yin, two oracles of yang,

Never having met yet connected through eternity;

They seek knowledge from their land to forge ahead.

The saviors of Nobodies may rise or may fall,

But….

Note: the last line was smudged out, sorry.

"Grrr … That doesn't help!" she exclaims, crumpling up the paper then tossing it across the room. Stomping her feet, she returns to her pacing.

"It would be nice if summoning a weapon were as easy as it is in the game," says Riley, as she stretches up her arm as if to grasp something, "just press the X button and you're ready for battle."

Artemis stomps over to the piece of paper and shoves it in her pants pocket while Riley listens to her steps. Closing her eyes, Riley listens to the surrounding sounds, Artemis' hollow steps, the crunching paper, her own even breath. She extends her thoughts and calms her mind as she listens to the sounds beyond the room. First, the room next door, then the entire floor and the sounds continue to flow from farther and father away. Footsteps, faint voices, floating up from below and falling down from above. The everyday sounds of the castle increase in volume and Riley sits up in pain, clutching the sides of her head desperately trying to block out the noise. She can hear Artemis rush to her side, despite the commotion running through her head. Louder and louder, it grows until the sounds are nothing but a ferocious ringing in her ears. Alls she can hear is the ringing and her friend's worried, muffled voice, until the noise ceases all together except for the beating of a steady drum. Dropping her hands and opening her eyes, Riley stands mesmerized by the sound. It sends a wave of energy through her body, waking her from the trance. Then the energy swirls through her arms and out her hands, forming a Keyblade. Silver music notes wrap around the blade, ending with silver swirls resembling a wave.

"How did you do that?" asks Artemis. Riley turns to face her friend, a look of confusion spread across her face by her strange experience.

"I… relaxed" answers Riley.

"Relaxed, huh?" Artemis walks over to the wall and sits down trying to get into a comfortable position, leaving Riley to examine her Keyblade. She shuts her eyes, copying her comrade's previous actions, but to no avail for she fails in her attempt to relax. The darkness of her eyelids begins to irritate her, so she gives into watching Riley train. A flash of light bounces off Riley's Keyblade, and blinds Artemis for a moment, catching her off guard. A flash of light hits her eyes again, this time it last longer and continues to grow in brightness. Her eyes begin to burn, so she closes them in pain, trying to block out the light. The darkness behind her eyelids slowly fades as shapes beyond the room begin to form. The rush of color causes her to slam against the wall in shock as scenes from throughout the castle flood her closed eyes. Her sight flies through every room, every corridor as unfamiliar images flash before her. Clearer and sharper the images grow until her sight suddenly is engulfed in darkness once more. Unable to open her eyes, Artemis pushes up against the wall as she struggles to stand. A small light breaks through the darkness as it swirls across her eyes. The light begins to pulse, sending a wave of energy through her body. She dares to open her eyes as the energy swerves through her arms and out her hands, forming a Keyblade. Yellow and red swirls cover the blade and it curves into a crescent sun. Artemis lifts her eyes from the blade to Riley's very concerned face.

"Whoa! That was easier then I thought," states Artemis, laughing off her moment of weakness. Riley's expression softens, relived to see her friend's attitude unaffected by the power rush.

"Now what?" she asks, adjusting her grip on her Keyblade.

"Well, we should probably practice with them so we don't accidentally cut our own feet off if we run into a Heartless," Artemis says, twirling her Keyblade.

"But where? I mean, we don't exactly want to trash our bedroom and I don't see a door…"

"Easy. AXEL!!!" she shouts, loud enough to make Riley cover her ears. "AXEL, GET UP HERE A MINUTE! WE'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU!"

"What?" asks an irritated voice behind her.

"Oh, hi Axel," Artemis says with a grin. "Listen, we were just thinking about doing some training but we don't want to totally destroy the place. Is there a room we could commandeer? One that isn't being used for anything that we can tear apart?"

"First room on your left," Axel says, turning to warp out.

"Hold it, flyboy." She grabs his arm to prevent him from going to far. "There's still one unresolved issue."

"And what would that be?"

"No door."

He quirks an eyebrow and looks around. "Oh. Good point. I'll be right back," he says, then brushes off Artemis' hand and warps out. He reappears only moments later and summons his chakrams, throwing them at a bare section of wall. They begin to burn just before they collide with the wall, easily cutting right through it. In no time at all a gaping rectangular hole exists where a pure white wall once stood. The girls stand there with wide eyes as the wall collapses out into the hallway.

"The other one's already open," Axel says as his chakrams disappear. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he adds in a sarcastic tone.

"No, that's fine. Thanks Axel," Artemis responds, "we'll call you." Axel rolls his eyes and warps out of the room, leaving the girls alone once more. Artemis turns to Riley and claps her on the shoulder.

"Shall we?"

The room Axel mentioned is a large one, roughly the size of the main room of a church, containing stacks of boxes and empty rows of shelving. Both girls feel their hands clench spasmodically around the handles of their Keyblades almost reassuringly.

"So….' Mumbles Riley. "This'll work."

"Yah," says Artemis in the same quiet voice. "Where do you reckon we should start? Just hand – to – hand?"

"Sure. There's just one thing…"

"Hm?"

"Well, I can't use a sword."

"Oh, ok," Artemis, says, returning to a normal volume. "Is that all? Come on, I'll give you a quick tutorial."

Riley is a quick study, so the instruction takes less then half an hour. They begin actual sparring, slowly at first, then gradually picking up speed as they become more comfortable with their Keyblades. Artemis gets used to it more quickly because of her past experiences with multiple kinds of swords and starts to try more fanciful maneuvers, giving Riley tips on form and technique as they both progress. After two or three hors of this, they hear a low whistle and turn to see Axel standing in the doorway. He applauds quietly as the girls jump down from one of the box stacks.

"I think you're ready," he says with a tone of approval. Riley and Artemis look at him quizzically, than at each other.

"Ready for what?" Artemis asks.

"Your first real challenge," Axel grins, grabbing them by the wrists and pulling them through a newly formed portal.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this surprisingly long chapter… um anything to add Torch before we leave until the next chapter?**

**T:…… nope….**

**E: ok then…. Bye.**


	4. Chapter IV

**Hello, everyone! Wow, can you believe it, the fourth chapter. Now lets all take a moment to pause and give thanks to the writing gods for giving me the inspiration to write all the way to the fourth chapter.**

**(Bows head)**

**I now must also say thanks for those of you who have reviewed and Fav.**

**Reviewed: DrakonGurl(ch 3), Blue Fire Kistsune(ch 1), and The Elven-Spear(ch 1)**

**Fav: DrakonGurl, Blue Fire Kistsune, and The Elven-Spear**

**And, wouldn't you know the same people alerted this story too? Come on people, I am indebted to these three for life by being brave enough to review, but I know more of you are reading, since there has been 104 hits on the story. I get it the action is slow and I disappeared for 6 months, but the story still deserves your attention. It doesn't even have to be long just a 'loved it', 'liked it', or 'hated it' would be a start. Pleeeeeeasssee….. (Begins to beg).**

**(Torch drags me off stage)**

**Torch: (cough cough) well, while the author has a mental breakdown, please enjoy the next chapter of Heart Seekers.**

The two girls cautiously step through the black vortex, engulfing them into total darkness. At first all is silent, and motionless, until a forceful wind is felt behind them. Almost ripping their consciousness from their bodies as they are thrust forward at an unimaginable speed, their bodies trailing closely behind. Without warning they come to a sudden stop, losing their balance the two girls tumble out of the darkness onto the ground. 

"Ow" says Riley, as she rubs her head.

"Wasn't expecting that", Artemis adds, while quickly standing up.

"You'll get used to it" Axel replies as he walks towards two tall white doors, Artemis walking behind him.

As Riley stumbles to catch up, she asks "So, what world is this?"

In response Artemis closes her eyes squinting slightly, using her newly found mind's eye in order to see the surrounding area. Quickly opening her eyes she responds "It is fairly obvious."

"Uh, sorry, I don't see it. Then again that makes sense, since I'm not the oracle of sight," says Riley, as she corrects herself somewhat sarcastically. Artemis just shrugs and lets out a small chuckle. They arrive at the two tall white doors, Axel pushes them open saying, "This is the Olympus Coliseum." The girls stare in awe at the colossal stadium, with not a seat empty in the stands.

"This place is much more intimidating in real life" Riley whispers to Artemis.

Nodding Artemis asks Axel, "So, why are we here?"

"To fight in the semi-finials." is his reply.

"What happened to the preliminaries and the beginning rounds?" Riley asks.

"Well, if you two hadn't dilly-dallied back at Castle Oblivion, you could have fought in the whole tournament, but you were too scared to leave without practice. We had to send Demyx to fight in your place; he wasn't too happy about that." replies Axel.

"We weren't scared, we just weren't ready!" exclaims Artemis, in defense.

"Whatever" says Axel with a smirk.

"Exactly who are we fighting?" Riley asks curiously.

"Some guy named Cloud" states Axel.

"Cloud!?" the girls respond in unison.

""You know him?" Axel asks.

"You could say that" Artemis replies with a smirk.

"Why am I not surprised?" he says, walking away.

"Where are you going?" shouts Riley.

"To sign in. Just stay there until you are announced, then enter the ring. Good Luck!" he shouts back.

"This will be an interesting fight" says Artemis.

"Maybe, but I doubt we're going to win. We don't even know Cure or have any Potions, let alone know how to fight with the weapons we have" Riley points out nervously.

"Yeah, but if I'm going to lose, at least it's at the hands of a character I like" proclaims Artemis while clenching her fists, to express how pumped up she is for the fight. After about five minutes of just standing around an announcement is made: "The semi-finals are about to begin. First match Cloud versus the Oracles of Sense."

"I guess that's us," says Riley.

"Let's give this crowd a fight they won't soon forget." Artemis adds, as the girls enter the ring.

"I just hope we survive."

Standing on the opposite end is a man in his early twenties wearing a black shirt, pants, and cloak, with spiky blond hair. The girls summon their weapon in a burst of light, Artemis with her Solar Flare and Riley with her Silent Melody. Cloud in turn draws out his buster sword, which is as long as him, and gets into a fighting stance. The starting bell sounds and the crowd cheers as Cloud lunges toward the girls. He swings his blade at Riley, giving her barely enough time to block; as a result she is flung against the shimmering clear wall surrounding the ring. Cloud, being preoccupied with Riley, allows Artemis to get through his defenses, with a series of combos; however, she is unable to land more than one or two hits. This does not stop Artemis though; she continues to swing away at cloud hoping to spot an opening. Meanwhile, Riley slowly regains balance after taking a critical hit from Cloud's blade. Leaning against the wall, she watches Artemis continuously banging away at Cloud's defenses. Cloud being clearly unaffected by her attempts, just smirks at his superior fighting skills, enjoying the small work out.

Riley whispers to herself, "I guess Artemis' fencing lessons are really paying off." After she catches her breath, she runs forward to join the fight.

Artemis leaps up into the air trying to catch Cloud off guard, when all of the sudden the floor and surrounding walls become pitch black. She can just barely see heartless out of the corners of her eyes, as she jumps backwards to achieve some distance between her and Cloud. Quickly searching with her mind's eye, Artemis is able to see Riley in the darkness.

"Riley, behind you!" Artemis shouts, as she sees two heartless crawl up behind her comrade. Before Riley can react the heartless tackle her to the ground. Pulling her down, through the shadows.

"Help!" yells Riley as she struggles to escape the heartless grasp. Artemis runs towards her, but by the time she reaches the spot where Riley was standing, Riley is already swallowed by the shadows. The darkness lifts and Cloud, unknowing of what had taken place, sprints towards Artemis thrusting his sword right at her. She quickly turns around and their blades clash causing multi-colored sparks to fly.

"**I**'m your opponent, **not** the _shadows_" Cloud whispers into Artemis' ear, just before both jump backwards and they continue their battle.

Riley sinks down into the darkness, struggling to escape the heartless' hands wrapped around her legs. The descendent is slow, as if she were sinking underwater and the heartless continue to claw at her legs, until they meet the ground. She is finally able to kick off her attackers, and stumbles trying to stand. Once stabilized on her feet, Riley begins to run as fast as she can, to put some distance between her and the heartless. The darkness is thick, and she losses track of how far she ran, but continues to run not even bothering to look back. The realm is completely silent, expect for her fast, heavy breathing, and her steady footsteps echoing against the floor. She can feel her body moving faster and faster, her feet moving all on their own despite how tired her legs are. Spotting a small light in the distance she rushes forward, and time seems to stand still, for one minute she is almost more then a mile away, and the next she stepping into the light.

* * *

**EnergyEmber:**

**_Hem hem_, sorry about the little episode I had during the beginning rant, I'm all better now.**

**So, everyone I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as you are making your way out of the web page, please remember to submit a review. And thank you for your cooperation.**

**Have a great Easter Break!**


	5. Chapter V

**Welcome to the 5th chapter! **

**This is a turning point for me cause its one of those numbers you want to reach to. Next stap 10th chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy characters, etc. etc.**

**My co-author Torchwood007 won't be joining us this chapter, cause she's off, well I'm not sure where, but trust me she will be back the 8th chapter. Any way its time for the show!**

* * *

"Artemis!" yells Riley as she escapes the darkness. Opening her eyes, she swiftly moves her gaze around the room. The room consists of five tables and three benches, filled with girls in polo shirts and plaid skirts, with a few out of place outfits here and there. All of the girls absorbed in their conversations filled with laughter and carefree giggling.

"Are you alright, Riley?" asks a familiar voice.

Spinning her head in the direction of the voice, Riley comes face to face with her best friend, sophomore, Risa Anson. Her long chestnut hair folded on her lap, to avoid it from touching the ground while she is sitting, and a multicolored headband pulls it back. Also, her outfit is the same school uniforms as all the other girls and Riley are wearing.

"How did I get here?" Riley asks, partly to herself.

"You walked in here like a zombie, sat down, and fell asleep, without saying a word," replies Risa a little concerned.

"It couldn't have been a dream," Riley whispers to herself.

Pointing to a duffle bag next to Riley, Risa asks, "What's in there?"

Riley twists her head in the direction indicated by Risa's hand. The bag is as dark as the shadowy vortexes that Nobodies use to travel, with purple swirls mixed into the black fabric. She grasps the silver zipper, shaped in a hollow heart, and opens it as fast as possible without getting it jammed. Inside the bag is a lump of black clothing and some black boots. Riley pulls out the top article of clothing, an ankle length black coat, with silver beads hanging near the zipper.

"Wow! Where did you get the great Organization XIII cosplay outfit!?" asks Risa.

"It wasn't a dream!" exclaims Riley. She grabs the coat and bag, runs down the familiar hall straight towards the bathroom. In a few minutes later, she is back at the table where she first woke up; wearing the black coat, she was given at Castle Oblivion. While ignoring the questioning glares from he fellow classmates, she slams her fists on the table and asks Risa, "Do you know where Artemis is?"

Risa reluctantly answers, "She passed out during her last class. Her parents already picked her up to go to the hospital."

At this answer, Riley's eyes widen in shock, wishing she had fought with the shadows harder. Scooping up her purse, she dumps its contents into the black bag that once hosed the Organization coat. After storing a few other random things spread across the table, she slings the bag on to her shoulders for safe keeping. All of a sudden, the room goes deadly silent, looking around Riley notices that the once lively room is now full of frozen students. A forceful wind blows from an invisible force causing Riley to step back and cover her face. Once it dies down a black vortex appears before her. She lowers her hands and out walks a man in the same outfit as Riley. Lowering his hood the man states, "Do you realize how hard it is to locate you!?"

"What are you talking about!?" is Riley's response.

"You left in the middle of a battle!"

"I didn't do it on purpose! The heartless grabbed me!"

"Is that Axel?!" asks a shocked Risa. Riley turns towards Risa with the expression of surprise on her face, for her friend was not frozen like the many other students.

"Not another one, come on it takes a lot of energy to keep the portal open in this world," Axel says, stepping into the dark vortex.

"I don't understand, what's going on?!" Risa asks, panicky.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later" response Riley. She grabs Risa's hand and leads her through the darkness. It thrusts them forward with incredible speed, until they arrive to a sudden stop. The girls follow Axel down the crystal hallway, Risa clinging to Riley's arm.

"Axel" whispers Riley, hesitant to break the silence, "what happened with the battle?"

"Your friend is alright, if that is what you are wondering" he says, "she didn't win, but she will recover."

Riley releases a sigh of relief and they continue to walk down the hall in silence. Axel soon stops in front of a door and says, "Riley you can rest in here, but I need your friend to come with me."

"Who me?!" asks Risa.

"Don't worry you can trust him" Riley tells her, with a reassuring smile on her face. Nodding, Risa follows Axel down the hall. Riley pushes the door open and steps inside. The room is filled with six beds that have curtains separating the beds. One Curtain is pulled back, with a woman in a black coat standing next to the bed. Riley approaches the woman. She has a slender figure, with her long black hair pulled back in a braid. Just noticing Riley, the woman's dark purple eyes scan the girl. The woman's face is gentle yet emotionless. On the bed lies a motionless Artemis.

"Is she alright?" Riley asks the woman.

"She is fine, just tired" says the woman, forcing a smile on her face. "My name is Alexis; I healed her with my magic. She should wake up soon."

Almost on command, Artemis begins to stir. Opening her eyes, she slowly sits up. "Artemis you're alright, Cloud didn't completely destroy you!" exclaims Riley.

"Nh, after you disappeared the fight was short. Where did you go any way?" asks Artemis as she crosses her legs.

"Ahhh, school."

"School! How did you get there?"

"Well--"

The door slams open and in walks Axel, very annoyed. Behind him, Risa skips in, now wearing a matching black coat with silver beads. "This is so cute!" she exclaims while spinning around, "I'm part of Organization XIII! Axel can I get this coat in a different color?" she asks. Axel, in turn, swiftly walks out and slams the door shut as a response. "You could have just said no!" she yells at the door.

"Risa came with you?!" says Artemis, in disbelief.

"Artemis!" Risa says as she runs up to her friends, "How did you get here? I just saw you at school."

"What do you mean? I haven't been at school for days," replies Artemis.

"I think there's a time difference because it's still the same day we left in our world" answers Riley, "Also; when we are here our physical bodies are still in our world."

"That makes sense and that also means we should be able to surpass our normal physical body limitations," adds Artemis with an evil grin, as Riley and Risa nod in agreement.

"Excuse me Oracles but I must go now," says a voice behind them, its Alexis. Without saying anymore she bows and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Now that we're alone, I have a question," states Risa, "can we really trust the Nobodies? After all aren't they supposed to be the villains of the story?"

"I certainly don't!" answers Artemis.

"Do we have another choice, I mean even if we tried to refuse or leave we have no means of transportation." adds Riley.

"Maybe we should just play along, until we're strong enough to destroy the whole organization." suggest Artemis.

"Then it's a plan?" asks Risa.

"Yep!" replies Artemis and Riley in unison.

* * *

As evening sets in, both Riley and Risa retreat to their bedroom on the 12th floor, leaving Artemis to heal in the medical room. Risa immediately flops down on the last unclaimed queen–size bed grinning from ear to ear. "So, we're inside the Kingdom Hearts video game, specifically Castle Oblivion, and you guys got a chance to fight Cloud?"

"Basically" Riley says, dumping out the contents of her black duffle bag and spreading them on the ground.

"But how? Why? What would Xemnas want –"

"Not Xemnas. Ramses, he's the new leader of Organization 13 'Next Generation'," says Riley sarcastically, picking up a pen and miniature notebook from the pile.

"But what about Axel, isn't he suppose to be … dead?"

"Yes, but Ramses brought him back, or reversed time or something." Riley flips open the first page of the notebook and begins to write. "It will make more sense once I finish this."

"Finish what?" Risa asks, slightly confused as she makes her way over to Riley. "What's up with this stuff?"

"I brought it from our world if you'll recall, and I was thinking that we should start our own Jimmy Journal. That way we can keep track of everything, even when we aren't together."

"Hmm, to bad we don't have our own talking cricket," Risa says, toggling Riley's iPod. Both girls begin to laugh, as Riley fills Risa in through the evening.

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**Please remeber to review I could use a self-of-steam booster...**


	6. Chapter VI

**Good Morning Readers!**

**T: Energy its not morning any more**

**Oh I guess you're right ... oops. The 6th chapter is finally done, YES!!**

**Tourch wrote part of this chapter so I must give her credit... any thing you'd like to say Tourch?**

**T: Energy does not own Kingdom Hearts, nor will she ever.**

* * *

Risa and Riley follow Axel down their fifth flight of stairs. It is the third day since Risa joined the group and the girls plan on getting in some practice before they depart for a new world. They descend the crystal steps to the sixth floor, their pace slowing the longer they walk.

"Is there an elevator in this castle?" Risa moans.

"Think about it, Nobodies can warp from place to place, so they don't need an elevator. They don't even need stairs!" response Riley.

"Then why don't we warp?" Risa asks.

"Quit your complaining; we're here," says Axel as he pushes open a pair of identical white doors, leading to a plain white room. As the trio walks into the room, a dark vortex forms in the far corner and out steps a hooded figure. The Nobody gracefully walks towards the group, almost as if she is floating on air. She stops towards the center of the room and motions the group over. The girls walk toward the nameless Nobody, but stop once they notice Axel is not following. They turn their heads to see why he is not following, but he has already warped out.

"He ditched us!" Risa exclaims, stomping her foot.

"Then are you helping us train?" asks Riley, referring to the only other Nobody in the room. The Nobody, in turn, lowers her hood revealing a young woman's face, no older then nineteen. Her black hair, with fire-dyed tips, stops near her chin.

"Yes, I'm Nauxrel," she answers, "and don't bother with introductions, I know who you are." She walks about the room looking everywhere but at the girls. Riley and Risa look at each other slightly confused and shrug before watching her pace again. "Well, aren't you going to summon your weapons?" she asks rolling her eyes.

"Oh, right," says Riley summoning her Keyblade, Silent Melody.

Risa shuffles her feet awkwardly before mumbling, "I don't have a weapon." Nauxrel just rolls her eyes again at what she has to work with when another teen crashes through the doors. The teen skids to a stop, and then tumbles on to the floor, her eyes wild with frustration.

"Artemis" says Riley, taking a quick glance at Risa for an explanation only to receive a small shrug, before making her way over to their surprise visitor. "What's with the dramatic entrance?"

"I just wanted to train with you guys," says Artemis combing her fingers through her hair as she flashes a wide grin, clearly not telling the whole tale. Suddenly thick metal bars shoot up from the ground, separating the two girls. Without hesitation the bars continue to appear until they completely surround Artemis, creating a barrier. "What the-?" Artemis asks, grasping the bars. The doors fly open once more, this time by a man who is also wearing the traditional Organization 13 attire. His dark indigo hair is cut short in the back, but his bangs, framing his face, extend to his chin. His sharp grey eyes dart directly for Artemis as he proudly strolls in with a wide smirk plastered to his pale face.

"Heh, did you think that trick of yours would distract me for long?" he ask, teasingly.

"Well, it was worth a try" Artemis says as she stands up, "and it wasn't a trick." He fakes a blush of embarrassment, and then pretends to clear his throat.

"That's beside the point" he starts.

"You're not going to lecture me, are you?"

He leans against the metal bars staring off at nothing, "Nah, not my thing."

"Naxiar!" exclaims Nauxrel, as she glares daggers at the Nobody, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh! Nauxrel" he says, just noticing the other people in the room. "I didn't see you there. Having fun training the newbie? Don't you think Ramses is being a bit over-protective of these girls?"

"Then why don't you let me go?" grumbles Artemis.

"Sorry Arty, but orders are orders," he states, wagging his finger at her.

"And what would those orders be, exactly?" asks Riley.

"To make sure Arty here doesn't strain herself before your next excursion with Axel."

"I don't need anymore rest! Every single scratch on me has been healed," Artemis grumbles. "And _don't_ call me Arty!"

"Naxiar, wasn't it? Do you really think Cloud beat her so badly that she's still injured after three days of rest?" asks Riley, one hand on her hip and the other still clutching her Keyblade.

"Not really, but like I said Ramses has been … cautious with anything that has to do with you." he says "Since you arrived he's been cooped up in the library or his room, which is so unlike him. And I haven't even seen _half_ of this organization in-." Naxiar is cut short as Nauxrel clasps his collar, lifting him a good inch or two off the ground.

"That's enough," she states, sternly drilling her grey eyes into Naxiar's. He just stares blankly back, never letting his cocky smile leave his face. She quickly sets him back down and the girls finally get a good chance to see their height differences. He's few inches shorter then Nauxrel, closer to Riley's height, and his stance resembles someone who is used to taking orders, but is now taking full advantage of a newly given freedom. Nauxrel slowly walks back to her previous position, the girls unsure of when she moved in the first place.

"You," Nauxrel says, referring to Risa, "come with me." Risa glances nervously back at her friends, unsure if she should follow.

"Just relax and let the energy flow" says Riley, sensing Risa's hesitation.

"Yeah, it's easier then you think," adds Artemis. Risa nods a thank you and flashes them a brave smile before following Nauxrel to the far side of the room.

"Now back to the matter at hand" Riley says, returning her attention to Naxiar, "What's up with these bars anyway?"

"Oh, I can morph metal," he states. He grabs one of the bars and pulls it out of the ground as easily as if he was picking up a pencil. Grasping it firmly in both hands, the bar begins to morph and twist until it forms a black sword.

"Very impressive," says Artemis, now standing next to Riley. He looks up from his work, to the girls then to the open space in the metal cage where the black sword used to be a bar.

"I bet my Other wasn't this gullible," he mumbles under his breath, as a sly smile forms on Artemis' face matching Riley's own. "Well, since I didn't actually get to see your fight at the Coliseum," he says, pulling two more bars from the ground and meshing them with his sword, then dismissing the rest. "We'll just have to recreate it."

Both girls jump backward a few feet as Artemis summons her Keyblade, Solar Flare. Naxiar gets into a fighting stance with his newly formed buster blade.

"Ready?" he asks with a smirk, his attitude instantly becoming all business. "I've gotta warn you, I'm no pushover."

"Neither are we."

For a moment no one moves, each side waiting on the other to attack. Finally Artemis blushes and nods to Naxiar. "After you, 'Cloud.' If we want to reenact this, the same person should at least start it off."

Naxiar grins. "Right." Immediately he lunges at the girls, his bangs blowing behind him. His buster blade comes down on empty ground as Artemis and Riley jump into the air to avoid the strike, but he quickly recoils and springs after them. The three combatants parry blows, occasionally landing one on their opponent. Within 10 minutes both parties are covered in cuts and bruises, but there is no clear-cut winner.

"Well, this isn't how it turned out, was it?" Naxiar laughs.

"Nope, not really," Riley says, taking a deep breath. "By now I was flying back to our world."

"Either we've gotten better or you don't cut it, Naxiar," Artemis grins. "Care to step it up?"

"Oh, you asked for it." His grip shifts on his buster blade and he crouches into a fighting stance, glowing with energy. "Shall we start again?"

"Yes, let's."

This time the battle is shorter and more heated, with Naxiar coming out the victor. After much jumping and blade clashing the girls lay sweating and panting on the floor, their Keyblades next to them.

"Bravo, that's more like it," Riley says.

"Though last time I was unconscious," Artemis adds. "Frankly, I appreciate the change."

They prop themselves up using their Keyblades, still weak from the fight. "How'd we do?" they both ask.

"Not bad," he responds, dismissing the buster blade. "If you train you might be able to hold your own against Cloud within a week or two."

"A week or two? You're kidding, right?" Artemis asks. "That's a bit long, don't you think?"

"No."

"You don't know us very well, do you?" Riley asks.

Naxiar quirks an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"We barely stayed alive against Cloud," Riley says. "We not only stayed alive, but we held our own against you for quite some time. We learn as we go, like we learned from the match with Cloud and like we learned from these fights with you. Try us again in a couple of days; I guarantee this fight'll last twice as long."

"One quick question," Artemis says as a thought strikes her, "didn't you say you were supposed to make sure we didn't strain ourselves before our next trip with Axel?" She looks over the injuries on Riley and herself, then back at Naxiar. "Not doing a great job, are you?"

"Ah, you'll be fine. Come on, let's go check on your friend."

They approach the back corner of the room where Risa stands clutching a Keyblade, her shoulders quickly rising and falling, while Naurxel meet their gaze with an emotionless expression. Risa notices the approaching footsteps and turns to face them, a triumphant smile on her face.

"I see you were able to summon your Keyblade" says Artemis. The Keyblade is in the shape of a crooked crane, with no distinct pattern or color scheme, purely a combination of lines and dots, in all shades.

"Yeah," she huffs "When you guys did it your first time was it so…?"

"Exhilarating?" Artemis and Riley say together "Pretty much."

"Now that you know how to wield that sword" Nauxrel says, ignoring the others completely "The next step is practice." She summons two tessen, bladed fans, to emphasis her point.

"Can't I practice with Artemis and Riley as my sparing partners?" Risa asks, not wanting the highly trained Nobody to be her first opponent.

"Sorry Risa, but I need to rest" says Artemis, sitting against the wall, out of the way.

"Yeah, me too. Later, ok?" adds Riley, as she joins Artemis against the wall.

"Yeah, later…" Risa sighs, shuffling to the center of the room. She takes her stance and they begin. Only basic beginner movements at first, allowing Risa time to get in to a rhythm. As time progresses Nauxrel speeds up her movements, only allowing time for Risa to defend her attacks. On the side Riley and Artemis watch the fight, studying both of the girls' movements.

"Your friend can get pretty aggressive when she fights" says Naxiar. Artemis and Riley turn their heads in surprise at the Nobody's statement.

"You're still here? I thought you left," says Artemis.

"Is she usually like that?" he asks, ignoring Artemis.

"Like what?" asks Artemis, annoyed at the Nobody.

"No, she can be hyperactive, but not aggressive," says Riley, continuing the conversation.

"Hmm… Her fighting style is direct, but rough." He states, "She can react quickly but lacks the fluency to dodge effectively enough to make any difference."

"That's some great observational skills." Riley smiles.

"Hmm…"

"Now what is it?" asks Artemis.

"I used some pretty long words" he chuckles. The girls sigh in unison, giving the man strange looks before returning their focus to the fight. As the day progresses the training continues, switching between basic sparring and technique building. Soon Riley and Artemis join in, taking turns in the one on one fights with Risa, while improving their own style. Only taking breaks to catch their breath, or eat a box lunch provide during a visit of the Nobody Alexis. Their strength steadily grows at a rapid rate, the two Nobodys observe. Without the weight of the girls' original physical bodies, their speed and agility increases at an unnatural rate. Unbeknown by the girls, let alone the Nobodys of Organization XIII, many more changes are on the way.

As the day draws to a close the girls retire to their room for the evening. Both Risa and Artemis flop on their beds after changing into their pajamas, while Riley lingers by her dresser. Artemis pulls out her cell phone from out of nowhere, while Risa sprawls out on the bed a grin plastered on her face, as she begins to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asks Artemis.

"Nothing. Its just, I've never felt so in touch with … well everything! I _feel _everything. I just can't explain it." Risa says, "What happened after you guys first summoned your Keyblade? What kind of power rush was it?"

"Well mine affected my sight. Everything got really bright, then I could see right through the wall, and then it only continued to expand until everything went dark. And since then I've been able to duplicate it, and the first light I saw was coming from Riley's heart."

"Wow" sighs Risa, "What about you Riley?"

"My experience was kind of similar, only mine had to do with sound. I could hear every conversation, every step, and every noise in the castle. And it kept getting louder, until it went silent and all I heard was a beat of a heart." Response Riley, "So now I can adjust my hearing at will, … to an extent."

"Double wow" sighs Risa again, flipping on to her stomach.

"Yep, now all we're missing are two guys to join our group," says Artemis as she climbs under the sheets. "But for now I'm going to bed."

"Well, I'm going to take a shower," says Riley as she heads out the door.

"Turn off the light ok?" asks Risa, crawling under her own sheets.

"Kay."

Riley heads down the hall to the bathroom, and on the way passes the only other bedroom on the floor, Ramses' room. As she passes she hears the sounds of frantic page turning and hushed mumbles. Despite her curiosity, she swiftly walks past and enters the bathroom at the end of the hall. After a long, relaxing shower she heads back to their room, but not before pausing in front of Ramses'. This time she hears nothing, except the door is slightly a jarred with a light pouring into the dark hallway. Riley hesitantly opens the door wider, peering into the room and it appears empty, so she dares to take a step in. She looks around, as her heart begins to flutter out of fear of getting caught. The room is plain in color, with a twin size bed in one corner, a reclining chair in another, and a closet in another. The last object to occupy space in the room is a large wooden desk; covered in books, but what intrigues Riley the most is the opposite wall, covered in loose papers. She moves in for farther inspection, and notes the multiple maps of worlds, different routes drawn out, scratched out theories, and lists of all sorts.

"What is he up to?" she whispers, as she begins to turn to leave but instead ends up running into a roadblock, literally. After recovering from the initial surprise Riley is able to address said roadblock, "Who are you?" The young man she refers to stares blankly back, clearly even more surprised by her presence. He's sporting the basic Organization XIII attire, minus the bulky coat, plus a black ski cap covers his chin length blonde hair.

"Ah, ah…" he says, his aqua blue eyes staring directly at her face, "Is … ah… Ramses here?"

"No…" responses Riley, not sure what to make of the teen.

"Well, I'll just come back another time," he panicky states, as he tries to make a quick exit, but is stopped by Riley.

"You're Ramses… aren't you?"

"I don't –"

"Don't try to hide it. I can tell," she cuts him off.

"How did you know?" he sighs in defeat, turning to face his guest.

"Your voice," she plainly states.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't except anything less from the Oracle of Sound," he shrugs, as he moves over to the desk's chair. "So is there some reason you decided to visit me?"

"I was just passing by…" she says, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "So what's with all the papers?"

"I'll answer, if you entitle me to a question."

"Um, ok"

"Research"

"Not much of an answer… What's your question?"

"Why do you have such a powerful gift, but come from such a vulnerable world? What do you draw from?"

"Wow, that's a deep question," Riley answers, unsure of what to say, "Why do you want to know?"

"Because no matter how deep I dig into the Keyblade wars, I just can't find a clear answer."

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'draw from,'" she says, trying to avoid answering.

"Most power people possess either is drawn from the light or the darkness, but you draw it from both, yet at the same time, neither..." he trails off in frustration.

"I… can't tell you."

"What!? How come?" he wines.

"What's with the personality change?" she laughs at his childish behavior.

"Hm, everyone says that…" he pouts, and Riley just laughs. He makes eye contact, and joins in on the laughing but the smile quickly fades into a frown. "I wonder what it feels like to be happy?" Riley becomes quiet, unsure what to say. "Don't worry I've an idea how it feels from my dreams…"

"Dreams?" she asks, "You know who your somebody is…" Ramses merely smirks.

"You really do know more then you should. It's late, and you will be off to a new world tomorrow, so…"

"Yeah, I know. Good night." Riley walks out and heads off to bed, as Ramses returns to his studies.

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**Thank you for reading, plz review. and since the next chapter is already written, it should me up in two weeks... until then ;) **

* * *


	7. Chapter VII

**Hello readers! I told you i'd get the 7th chapter up, didn't I?**

**Aren't you just so happy with me? ... Well now to the point**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Disney or Square Enix related things. I do own the OCs and the plot line, so no stealing that ...**

**Now on with the show!**

* * *

The sun is still high in the sky on this summer afternoon in Radiant Garden

The sun is still high in the sky on this summer afternoon in Radiant Garden. The streets are filled with the commotion of people returning to work after their lunch break and children running around enjoying the warm weather. But unknown to the citizens of the former Hollow Bastion, four cloaked figures warp in from the shadows. They step into the light, keeping their distance from the crowds and they lower their hoods.

"Hollow Bastion, huh?" says Artemis, taking in the surroundings.

"Its Radiant Gardens now" corrects Risa.

"Whatever …" says Artemis, shrugging off her mistake.

"So Axel, did someone in the Organization use to live here?" asks Riley.

"Yeah … a few of us …" Axel trails off, staring into space. The three girls look at him questionably, confused by his sudden change in tone. "Anyway, get to work. I don't want to spend the whole day babysitting." All three of them roll their eyes and turn to focus their energy. Each using her own method, Risa trying to get a lock on a heart's heat, Artemis peering through structures in search of a heart's light, and Riley listening for a heart's steady beat. They let their senses float through the town, desperately trying to ignore the hearts of somebodys. After a few moments, the girls simultaneously break from their thoughts, each pointing in a different direction.

"That way!" they exclaim in unison. Realizing what had just happened, the girls look over their shoulders, staring at each other in amusement.

"Let's split up" says Riley. Artemis and Risa nod in agreement and head off on their own, not really needing the spoken suggestion. Axel stares in confusion at the girls' silent conversation, as Artemis runs toward the marketplace and Risa climbs up a nearby staircase leading towards the Bailey.

"Wait, where are you going?" asks Axel, in annoyance.

"To do our job" responses Riley, as she strolls off down the ally. "So Axel, where did you use to live, before the Organization?"

"None of your business, I don't remember it that well anyway."

"Could you give me a hint? 'Cause don't you think it will be easier to locate a heart if we are familiar with what we're looking for?" ask Riley.

"Fireworks" Axel states, "I remember fireworks."

"Fireworks?" Riley whispers to herself. They turn the corner, into a wide clearing blocked off by the surrounding buildings with a lone, out-of-place house pushed into a corner. Riley's train of thought trails off, as she recognizes the new scene in front of her. Ignoring Axel, she sprints towards the cottage while forcing down her excitement, now building up inside. She peers into the house's only window, while standing a fair distance away, trying to appear casual.

"What are you …?" Axel questions her action, thus receiving a scolding from Riley to be quiet. Now completely abandoning the heart she was tracking, she tunes into the voices inside the house.

"… What about the Organization? Have they made their appearance yet?" asks a squeaky voice belonging to the famous mouse king, Mickey.

"They have yet to show their faces around here. What about the other worlds you have visited?" replies the old wizard Merlin, stroking his long beard in thought.

"Only dusks, and in scarce numbers. They must be lying low for now," comments a young man's voice. Riley recognizes it as Riku, though absent from her view.

"But what are they waiting for?" ponders the King in a whisper.

"Well" says Merlin, clapping his hands in enthusiasm, "The restoration committee is waiting for you, so I won't keep you any longer." An expression of panic spreads across Riley's face at the thought of being caught eavesdropping, but soon disappears as she skids to Axel's side, in the alleyway's opening.

"You need to leave" she whispers, only to receive a raised eyebrow, and perplexed look from Axel. "We'll meet you back here at sundown, I swear, but until then you need to be out of sight."

"I'm assuming you have a plan," says Axel. Riley nods an answer, keeping watch on the out-of-place house for its occupants.

"Now!" demands Riley. Axel warps out, without another word, a smirk on his face; impressed by the small girl's forcefulness. Calmly, but quickly she walks back over to the house, scanning for a hiding place. Unexpectedly, its door swings open and Riley darts behind it to avoid being seen. The door stops just meters away, and out walks King Mickey. He walks right past Riley, yet takes no notice of her presence, as he heads towards the Bailey. She senses the door close, but being preoccupied by the mouse walking away, she fails to notice how. After King Mickey is gone from view, she releases a sigh of relief only to be discovered by a different individual.

"Who are you?" Riley's heart rate skyrockets at what the voice is implying, he caught her.

She turns to the left, to face a young man of 17 wearing a yellow outfit that Riley recognizes as the one Riku wore in the second Kingdom Hearts video game. He is significantly a head taller then her, his silver hair reaching pass his shoulders. She lifts her gaze up until she meets his aqua blue eyes, staring sternly into her own lavender ones.

"I'm Riley," she says, swallowing her nervousness, "Riley Manor."

"What are you doing out here?" he asks, his questioning eyes becoming softer.

She takes a deep breath allowing herself time to calm down before she answers, "Well, me and my friends came to help."

"Help? With what?" he asks, his voice ringing with amusement and curiosity. Before Riley is able to utter a response, a handful of heartless surrounds the duo. Riku steps between Riley and the heartless, pushing her back, and summons his Keyblade, the Way to Dawn. "Stay back" he whispers, and then takes a swing at one of the heartless. A small smile forms on Riley's face, as she summons her own Keyblade unbeknownst to Riku. She side steps, slaying a heartless in her path. Then spinning on one foot, resembling a pirouette, she attacks a shadow heartless. "You're quick!" says Riku, taking a whack at another heartless, "It's kind of rare to find a girl that's such an experienced fighter."

Riley feels her heart flip, as she skips backward, "I'm far from experienced."

"Still, I guess it was instinct for me to protect you." Riku responds taking care of the last shadow.

"Thanks. But I tend to be able to take care of myself. … Sort of," Riley answers, letting her weapon disappear. Unknown to Riley a shadow heartless creeps up behind her, fused in the ground. Riku shouts a warning and Riley spins to face the danger, but the heartless springs forth for the ground before she can fully react. In a flash of darkness, Riley dissipates avoiding the heartless, but surprising both Riku and herself. He destroys the heartless, and then scans the grounds for the girl. Barely even a second later, she reappears right in front of him, in the same particle-like darkness that she vanished in.

"You can use the powers of darkness." He says, his cool smile becoming stern. Riley shakes her head, almost at a lost for words.

"But I've never done that before," Riley whispers, her expression calm and her eyes staring dreamily at her hands.

"Seriously?" he questions. She lifts her gaze, and gives a strong, reassuring nod. "Well, I think the King would like to meet you." Riku lets his weapon disappears and walks off toward the Bailey, gesturing Riley to follow. She does.

The duo walks into an underground cavern leading to a small maze of corridors. In silence, they move forward, Riley stealing quick glances at Riku, and Riku keeping his eyes forward. "I'm pretty suspicious, huh?" Riley asks. Riku just tilts his head to see her face more clearly, eyebrow crocked. "You know with the whole coat and warping thing. I've probably made a lousy first impression." He does not respond at first, but as they turn a corner, he stops and releases a sigh.

"It's just, I get this vibe that we've meet before and that you know more then you should," states Riku.

Riley meets his eyes, and smiles "funny, I feel the same way." Surprised by her answer, he watches her walk down the narrow hallway to a wooden door. They enter a small, circular study, its walls lined with books and a small table in the center buried with loose papers. Sitting at the table is none other then King Mickey himself, reading a book.

"Your Majesty" says Riku, "This is Riley Manor, and I meet her outside Merlin's right after you left." The mouse king stands up and makes his way over to Riley, extending a welcoming hand.

"It's very nice to meet you," Mickey says. Riley nods her head in agreement, a warm smile on her face as she accepts the handshake.

"Where's everyone else? I thought Leon and the others had news for us," asks Riku.

"There seems to be some commotion, in the computer room. I thought I'd wait for you before I'd investigate," response Mickey. Riku walks off towards the computer room, leaving Riley and King Mickey alone in the study. He then turns to Riley and says, "Riku never does anything without reason, so why did he bring you here?"

Startled a little bit by the surreal experience of speaking with a cartoon mouse, Riley hesitates at first. "I warped, but not on purpose. It was a reaction." She pauses. "He said that it made me connected with the darkness."

"Well, are you?" Mickey asks.

"I tend to consider myself to be more neutral."

* * *

**Well thank you for making it to the end of the chapter, reviews are welcomed (pleeeeease). **

**Remember the next chapter will be up in two weeks... until then **


	8. Chapter VIII

**Hey everyone, here's ch. 8 right on schedual! **

**Now here's TorchWood007 to start us of, Torch?**

**T: I'm here. And I wrote this entire chapter all by myself... thats its, no big.**

**E: Don't sell yourself short! I did the editing, but it was all thanks to my co-author for this chapter. Hurray! **

**_NOTE: since this ch. is so short I will be posting a speacil treat for any of you Naruto fans in a week, so keep your eyes peeled ;)_**

* * *

Artemis wanders down the empty street; sure she's heading in the right direction. Checking her third eye again to be absolutely certain, she leans against a wall. "Geez," she sighs, "Why does it keep moving? I've changed direction at least three times to find it and I'm still going nowhere."

A voice around the corner peaks her attention and she pushes away from the wall. Slowly she makes her way toward the voice, hesitant because of its vague familiarity. She turns onto a street of shops and sees a well-known spiky blond head near an overhanging on the lower level.

Grinning, Artemis looks around for a staircase and sees one on the other side, the one the man is facing. The girl opts for the less conventional method and jumps onto another shop overhand, then drops to the ground. "You know," she says, leaning against the shop, "I really want a rematch. Think we can work something out, Cloud?"

Startled, Cloud spins around and puts a hand on his sword. When he sees Artemis he loosens his grip. "What are you doing here?" he asks with a suspicious glare.

The girl just shrugs in response and says, "My friends and I heard there's been some trouble around here. We came to help clean the place up a little in exchange for some intel."

"We don't need your help."

As he turns away Artemis realizes this will be more difficult than she originally thought. If they want to get an idea of what's going on in all these worlds and why the Heartless have been reappearing they have to make a few allies outside of the Organization. "Fine; I'll just go talk to Sephiroth," she says without thinking. With the mention of that name Cloud freezes in his tracks, giving Artemis a moment to realize what she just said. As she reorganizes her thoughts Cloud turns back to her.

"Sephiroth? You know him?" Cloud asks a hint of hope in his voice. "I've been looking for him for-"

"Years, I know. He'll probably be more willing to listen than you." With a flick of her wrist she summons her Keyblade and hurls it in Cloud's direction. It whizzes by just inches from his left ear and lodges in a wall behind him. He turns to look at the Keyblade and sees a shadow Heartless, pinned by the blade and beginning to fade. When it disappears completely the Keyblade flies back to Artemis' hand. Hiding her astonishment at her good aim and speedy return of her weapon, she manages witty retort.

"Don't need help cleaning up, huh? Seems to me like you've got to be able to see the mess to get rid of it."

Before Cloud can return with a jibe of his own, dozen of Heartless surround the two of them. Cloud draws his weapon and stands back-to-back with Artemis, not noticing the single bead of nervous sweat trickling past her right temple.

"I hope you can function as part of a team, kid, because we're going to need to work together on this one," he mutters under his breath. Artemis doesn't hear him, just shifts her position and grips her Keyblade harder. She opens her mouth as if to say something to him, but quickly becomes distracted as all of the Heartless converge on their prey. In the ensuing struggle Cloud and Artemis are separated and rejoined multiple times, trying to continue that conversation all the while.

"How do you know Sephiroth?" he asks as he flings a Heartless away.

"I ran into him once. Briefly. Duck!" Cloud complies as Artemis swings her Keyblade over his head. "It didn't go too well. I just-Whoa!" Her sentence is cut short by Cloud grabbing Artemis around the waist a dipping her as if they were dancing while swinging his sword where she was just standing. "I just wanted to goad you a little. Believe me," she says as Cloud returns her to her feet, "I'd much rather work with you."

"Thanks for the compliment," Cloud says as he destroys the last Heartless.

"You're welcome," she responds as her Keyblade vanishes.

"I never did get your name during our match at the coliseum," he says, sheathing his blade.

Artemis holds out her hand, "Artemis Taylor."

Cloud holds out his own, "Cloud Strife."

Before they can actually shake hands a flying Heartless assaults them from above, nearly knocking them over. Artemis sighs and summons her Keyblade again, but the Heartless retreats to the sky. Cloud looks up and judges the height, then over at the girl with her determined violet eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Artemis!" he calls to her, lacing his fingers together to form a foothold. She glances over at him, and then breaks into a grin as she realizes his plan. She sprints toward him and steps into his cupped palms. Cloud uses the momentum she gained running and throws her into the air, straight at the Heartless. Finally she gets level with it, but keeps going. As a result she swings wide.

"Cloud!" she shouts down. "That's a little too high!"

"Sorry!" he calls back up. "I didn't think you were running that fast!"

Artemis rolls her eyes in response and waits for her return trip. As she falls back down to earth she makes another pass at the flying Heartless, this time connecting. She manages to slay the Heartless, but it hits her a glancing blow. It is not much, but it is enough to spin her around and prevent her from landing safely. Artemis plummets like a rock, flipping through the air. Just as she thinks, she is going to hit the ground, a pair of strong, muscular arms arrests her descent. Daring to open her eyes, she sees Cloud, who gently places her back on her feet.

"Good thing you aren't a pilot or your license would have to be revoked," he says with a smile. "What kind of pilot can't land?"

"One who still needs to earn her wings," she responds casually. "But a pilot's only as good as her crew"

"If you're still willing to trade your services for information I think you may have found one."

Artemis smiles and shakes Cloud's hand. "Sounds good to me."

"By the way," Cloud says, releasing Artemis' hand, "If we're going to be working together there are some people you should meet. Come with me." The two of them walk side-by-side up the stairs toward a rundown castle, their tentative alliance strengthening with every step.

* * *

**T: Thanks for reading, and remember to review plz.**


	9. Chapter IX

**Hello, everyone.. to make up for me having to break my two week posting pattern (foreshadowing), this chapter is very long...**

**So in case you missed my hint in the first sentence, mid-terms is here for me which means less free time to write what I want. So the tenth chapter will be delayed a least a week. **_**awww**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is not mine...**

* * *

Risa cautiously enters the tunnel, following her senses towards an unusual presence. She tries to stay focus on the heat radiating off the presence as she navigates her way through the dark. Reaching the end, a blinding light greets her causing a lost of sight temporally. Risa's moment of vulnerability is taken advantage of as she slips down a newly constructed staircase.

"Ow" Risa groans, as she clings to the stone railing. Pulling herself to her feet, she peers down the steep stairs, relieved that she caught herself. Her gaze follows the stairs as they lead to a construction site, complete with flimsy barricades and rusted pipes. Amongst the rumble is a swarm of heartless, floating idly unaware of Risa's presence. They begin to converge on one spot, until two suddenly disintegrate and the swarm becomes active. Three, four more are destroyed, as she skims the area for the source of their destruction.

She spots a man with spiked brown hair, as he fights off the swarm, surrounded by heartless. Recognizing the man, Risa slides down the stone railing, avoiding the steps all together. She lands firmly on the ground, then charges at the nearest heartless. After summoning her Keyblade, she makes a clean strike at the shadow heartless causing it to disappear. Cutting through the swarm, she heads towards the center, with fierce determination shinning in her eyes.

She sees the man's figure out of the corner of her eye, distracting her momentarily as a heartless grazes her arm causing her to stumble backwards. Unable to stabilizes, Risa braces herself for collision with the ground. However, instead of banging her head against the cold, hard floor, she falls into a pair of strong arms. Tilting her head upwards, her indigo eyes meet a pair of green eyes belonging to the man she saw before.

"Squall..." Risa whispers, "Uh, I mean Leon." An expression of surprise spreads across Leon's face at the sound of his name and he quickly diverts his gaze from the girl. He spins her back onto her feet and turns around, his Gunblade out stretched, returning to the battle. Snapping out of her daze, Risa tightens her grip on her Keyblade and thrusts forward at the heartless.

"How do you know my name?" asks Leon, trying to keep the gap between him and Risa to a minimal.

"I, ah, heard it from someone…" responds Risa, as she takes another swing at the heartless.

"Why are you here?"

"Well, I thought you could use some hel-" Leon cuts her off, as he grabs her arm and spins her into his chest. Risa feels her face turn a deep shade of red, as he squeezes her closer so she is unable to move. He takes his Gunblade and in one clean sweep eliminates the remaining heartless above their heads. After letting go, Leon takes one last look around the area to make sure all the heartless are taken care of, and then turns to leave.

"Wait!" Risa exclaims. She starts to run after him, but is distracted by a foreign object beginning thrown at her. It is a small green bottle labeled 'potion'.

"For your arm" Leon says. Risa smiles in gratitude but before she can respond, he is gone. Scrunching up her face in irritation, she runs off in his direction.

* * *

Following the heat radiating off his heart, Risa navigates her way through the underground maze. Afraid of losing the signal, she slowly makes her way around the corners avoiding any heartless that would randomly pop up in front of her. She finally reaches a single hallway leading to a small, empty study.

The circular room consists of a multitude of books lined along shelves mounted against the walls and a small table in the center, buried under loose papers. Proceeding through a door on the opposite end, she finds herself on a catwalk overlooking a strange warehouse filled with capsule like things. Voices are heard from the opposite end, and Risa kneels by its opened doorway, out of sight, to hear better.

"Well, it's about time Leon!" exclaims Yuffie in irritation.

"Where's Riku?" asks Sora, ignoring the temperamental ninja.

"He's still with the King at Merlin's," responds Leon.

"Hey! Don't change the subject, what took you so long?!" Yuffie exclaims attempting to glare him down for an answer.

"I had to ditch a stray cat" Leon answers, returning her glare.

"I think your stray cat Leon," says Aerith "followed you home." The group turns toward the brown haired girl who spook, standing in the doorway, wearing a sweet smile, right behind the hiding Risa.

"The Organization!" exclaims Sora, as he, Donald, and Goofy pull out their weapons.

"No! Wait, I'm not part of the Organization!" defends Risa as she stands up her hands in the air.

"Then what's with the coat?" asks Yuffie, her shuriken at the ready.

"Well –"

"Risa?! What are you doing here?" asks a voice from behind both Aerith and Risa. They turn to look in the direction of the voice and see a blond haired girl sporting a black Organization coat, escorted by a certain spiked blond hero wearing equally as much black.

"Cloud!" states Aerith, referring to the man.

"Artemis!" says Risa.

"Riku!" exclaims Sora. The entire group turns around once more to see the silver haired, Keyblade wielder.

"Looks like I'm not the only one to find a girl wearing an Organization XIII coat" jokes Riku, "Now I don't feel so special."

* * *

"I can't believe they kicked us out!" exclaims Artemis "We offer them our services, and they refuse to fill us in on the important information." After quick introductions of everyone, and Risa, Riley, and Artemis gave their explanation of their purpose of seeking out the restoration committee, the meeting final was able to begin. However the group still unsure of what to make on the three newcomers, Riley, Risa, and Artemis had to what in the study until further notice.

"That's so typical!" she stomps, her foot, and glares at nothing in particular "What are you doing Risa?"

"I'm trying to hear what they're saying" Risa replies, pushing her ear closer to the study's door.

"Any luck?"

"No" Risa sighs.

"They're talking about how they finally decoded something" says Riley.

"You can hear them? What are they saying? Come on, relay" states Risa, as fast as physically possible.

"There's typing ... and uh … too many voices" Riley reaches into a once concealed pocket and pulls out pair of headphones. "Here put these in."

"But there not attached to anything" Risa says grabbing one of the ear buds, while Artemis puts in the other.

"It's just an idea." Riley holds on to the metal part of the headphones, focusing on the sounds drifting from the computer lab. Tapping into the energy she uses to summon her Keyblade, she channels it through the headphones sending sound waves through its speakers.

"... So I don't get it, are these Oracles on our side or the Nobodies? And what is an Oracle anyway?" asks Sora, his voice floating through the speakers.

"An oracle is a being with wisdom, power, and a connection with the universe that surpasses most physical laws" states King Mickey.

"Anyway, using the documents that were stored with the stolen scroll, with Tron's help, we were able to recreate the missing half" Leon adds.

"5 Oracles of the senses

with powers to conquer their foe;

2 will turn from the light.

The 3 that will remain

basking in the glow;

they will be chosen to fight.

A power for the ages

released from the land

where even Heartless dare not tread.

3 Oracles of yin, 2 Oracles of yang,

never having met yet connected through eternity;

they seek knowledge from their land to forge ahead.

The saviors of Nobodies may rise or may fall,

but only a few will answer the call."

"If they're the saviors of Nobodies wouldn't that make them our enemy?" asks Goofy.

"Only 2 of them" replies Leon.

"Then we need to find the other three, before the Organization!" Sora concludes.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Not so fast there boys!" exclaims Yuffie.

"Yes, there will be plenty of time for adventure tomorrow, but tonight you should rest up at headquarters" adds Aerith.

"She's right Sora; don't be in such a hurry. Besides it will give us the opportunity to question our guests" says Riku. As the conversation ends, Riley, Risa, and Artemis hear footsteps not through the speakers, but on the other side of the door. Riley scrambles to hide the head phones, as Artemis and Risa get into causal positions. The restoration committee, plus three, head back to Merlin's, but along the way Risa, Artemis, and Riley make a pit stop to have a small meeting of their own.

* * *

Cloud steps out of the restoration committee headquarters, curious as to the disappearance of the three young girls. They definitely know more then they let on, and he is going to figure out why. If he could only talk to one of them alone...

A group of Heartless interrupts his thoughts, appearing out of nowhere. Cloud quickly dispatches them, except for one that manages to escape near the bailey. Foregoing the stairs, he jumps up a series of ledges, cutting off its escape, and gets rid of it, too. As he begins to walk away, he hears a soft exclamation from inside the bailey, followed by another voice saying, "Keep it down! We need to talk about this." He stops, recognizing the voice, and slightly turns around. Getting closer he can understand the conversation, but what he hears prevents him from making his presence known.

"They deserve to know," says a voice Cloud recognizes as Artemis.

"But what if they kick us out or something?" another voice chimes in. The girl that followed Leon, Cloud realizes. What was her name? Risa. "I mean, not everyone will like the idea."

"By that you mean Leon won't like it," Artemis responds.

"Of course he won't! Not right away at least."

"That's why we're only going to tell the more level-headed ones at first," the third girl, Riley, adds. "They can help convince Leon we're still on his side."

"Actually, we're more or less neutral," Artemis corrects. "We're helping the restoration committee and the Organization, so we're on both sides."

"But the Organization isn't working against them."

"That's not the point. Think about it: the Committee finds out we're these mythical Oracles. The Organization, which has been their enemy until now, already knows, and we're wearing Organization coats. If they're smart they won't trust us completely; we could be double agents."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"So we're telling at least two people," Risa says.

"Just two for now. We'll tell more when these two have had some time to get used to the idea," Riley says, "Anyway, we'd better get back."

"Yeah, someone's bound to have noticed we're gone by now," Artemis says.

Cloud looks around for a shadow to hide in as he hears footsteps and finds one to the right of the bailey entrance. The girls appear in the doorway and begin to walk across the platform toward the stairs when Artemis kneels down.

"No, go on, I'll just be a sec," she says when the others turn back. "My shoe came untied."

Riley and Risa just shrug and start walking away. As her friends disappear down the stairs Artemis stands and looks out into the darkening sky.

"Can I help you with something?" she asks. When Cloud doesn't respond she turns toward the corner, in which he is hiding. "I know you're there."

"How?' he asks as he steps into the light.

"Just a feeling," she replies, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess you heard …"

"You three are the Oracles." It wasn't a question. Artemis is glad of the red glow of the setting sun as she feels blood rush to her face.

"Yes, we are," she says quietly. "Not that it changes what we're doing here." Her voice returns to its normal volume. "Believe me, Cloud; we were going to tell you eventually."

"So I heard." He gives her a small smirk. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." A sigh of relief escapes the girl's lips as she gives him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Cloud." A sudden thought strikes her. "So you're ok with this? The whole Oracle thing?"

He shrugs. "Why not? You haven't changed, we just know a little more about you. I can't say Leon will be of the same mind, though," he adds.

"No, he won't, but we knew that." She glances toward the town at Merlin's house. "I think it'll turn out fine."

Cloud stands next to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go; we don't need you getting in trouble."

Risa and Riley are almost back to Merlin's when they spot Riku a short distance away. He must have been watching for them, because as soon as they were close enough to be seen he begins to walk toward them.

"Riley," they hear him say, "We need to talk." Risa looks at Riley, wondering if she should stay or go. Where was Artemis, anyway? It shouldn't take this long to tie a shoe. Unless …

"It's ok, Risa, I'll meet you inside," Riley says, walking up to Riku. Risa shrugs and walks inside, making up a story to explain her friends' absence as she steps over the threshold. When she is gone Riley and Riku walk across the square to a thick aboveground pipe that serves as an ideal bench. Riley sits on the exposed pipe while Riku leans against the nearby wall. A moment passes by in silence before Riku says four very simple words with one very complicated meaning:

"So you're the Oracles."

Riley stiffens and looks at Riku, trying to gauge his expression. "How do you know?"

"I overheard you talking. When the three of you disappeared, I warped into the bailey. If you want a private, chat that's the most secluded place besides the old castle. I was in the inner doorway."

"Ah, so it was your heartbeat that I heard…" she mumbles to herself.

"Huh?"

"I guess this means we're done working together, then," she says, disappointed.

"Now who said that?" Riku asks, quirking an eyebrow. "If anything it's another reason to keep you around. Imagine what would happen if you fell into the wrong hands. Besides," he grins, "it should prove to be interesting." As the two of them wrap up their conversation, Artemis and Cloud come down the stairs.

"Hey, where've you been?" Riley asks. "Having a little heart-to-heart with Cloud?"

"Maybe," Artemis jokes. "In the meantime, it looks like you found Riku. I take it he knows now, too?"

"Yep"

"Great, let's get inside; we should find out what's been going on …" Artemis trails off as a blur of red and black is caught in the corner of her eye, then using her mind's eye she hones in on the spot. "Why is Axel here?" she whispers to Riley.

"Oh no, I promised him we'd meet him here at sunset. I didn't realize it was that late" Riley whispers back, pausing on the doorstep as the boys make their way inside. She looks around inside until she stops Risa sitting down on a nearby chair.

"Hey Risa could you come hear a sec?" asks Artemis, motioning for Risa to come outside. Despite the questioning look Risa gives her friends, she approaches the doorway.

"Ready?" she whispers to Riley, and receives a reassuring nod in return.

"One, two, three."

Artemis and Riley grab Risa's arms, pulling her outside, and then slamming the door shut before the others inside could react. Summoning her Keyblade Riley uses it as a barricade jamming the door, while Artemis leads Risa down a near by ally way. Where an opened dark portal is waiting for them. All three girls run through it, just as Riley's Keyblade disappears and the restoration committee opens the door to an empty square.

* * *

As Riley, Risa, and Artemis walk out of the portal, the first thing to greet them is their favorite Nobody, Axel. "So did we all have a productive evening?" The girls answer him with tired faces and the realization that they skipped both lunch and supper.

* * *

Axel pushes open the door and they walk in. Artemis, Riley, and Risa stare in awe at the spacious kitchen; cabinets, stoves, and ovens line the walls. A long counter sits in the middle of the room, with a few scattered stools placed around it. Sitting at one of the stools is the indigo haired Nobody, Naxiar, chewing on a piece of toast.

"Good you're here. Which means I can leave," says Axel. Naxiar tries to refuse despite having a mouth full of bread, but Axel just warps out. He swallows down what remains of the snack and proceeds to clean up.

"What are you doing down here Naxiar?" asks Risa, as she opens varies cabinet doors.

"Kitchen duty" he bluntly states.

"Wouldn't that be Demyx's job, since he's water oriented?" asks Artemis jokingly.

"It is, but he's off on assignment," he grumbles. "Lock up when you're done." He warps out, leaving the girls alone in the sixth floor's kitchen. Artemis and Riley take a seat while Risa continues to shuffle through the Organization's food supply.

"So, who else's day was more then a little overwhelming?" says Risa, as she takes out a box of noodles. "Talk about fav. character overload."

"It was fairly tense during introductions," says Artemis.

"Yeah, especially meeting Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey. Is ramen ok with you guys?" Risa asks.

"Yeah" says Artemis.

"Sure" mumbles Riley. Time passes quickly, in silence and before long Risa dishes out three bowls of steaming hot ramen.

"That was fast," says Artemis, twirling her chopsticks.

"Instant broth" Risa replies followed by another pause. "So when can we tell Leon?"

"Didn't we already discuss this? Hey Riley, back me up here."

"You've been awfully quit Riley, at least more then usual. Did something happen with Riku?"

"I warped," says Riley, pushing her noodles around in her bowl. Both Risa and Artemis exchange confused looks before she continues. "When I first met Riku. A heartless snuck up on me and I reacted. I didn't want to tell you guys until we were alone."

"Was it swirling vortex warping or disappearing in a flash of darkness warping?" asks Artemis.

"Flash of darkness."

"How did it feel?" asks Risa, leaning in closer out of concern and curiosity.

"Natural, chaotic, and kind of light."

"But since when can you control the darkness?" Risa asks.

"It makes sense, since we are neutral in a way and the Keyblades are primarily light oriented, we were bound to start showing some signs of dark powers," adds Artemis. "Can we assume Riku told the others?"

"Actually, I don't think he did or will now that he knows our secret," says Riley as she begins to nibble on her food.

"Makes sense and now we've created an alliance on both sides, so the next step –"

_Ring Ring Ring Ring_

Artemis answers her cell phone, a slightly confused look on her face. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" demands a male voice on the other end of the line.

"James? It's Arty."

"That's impossible; my sister's in a coma." For a moment, Artemis sits there, speechless, making Riley and Risa wonder what was said. She quickly regains her composure, however.

"A coma, huh? Well, that explains a lot, but I swear it's really me."

"I'm sitting in your hospital room; it can't be you." The uncomfortable silence makes a brief comeback. Artemis stands up and begins pacing along the side of the counter, trying to vocalize her thoughts, when her brother interrupts her.

"Prove it."

She stops pacing immediately. "What?"

"Tell me something only you would know."

"Something only I … way to put me on the spot, Jameson."

"Sorry, I want to believe you, but –"

"I caught you making out with Sarah Mitchell after a football game your freshman year. You agreed to drive me to fencing lessons in exchange for silence. Will that work?"

It's Jameson's turn to pause. A smirk spreads across Artemis' face as Jameson finally says, "Where are you, Arty?"

"Err, Kingdom Hearts?"

"The video game? You can't be serious."

"Riley and Risa are here, too. Let me put you on speaker." She presses a button on her phone and sets it on the counter, then sits back down pushing her half-eaten ramen bowl aside.

"Hey James," says Riley and Risa in unison.

"This is absolutely maniacal," Jameson says.

"We've got Organization XIII coats and everything!" Risa exclaims.

"I never really finished the game, but aren't they supposed to be the bad guys?"

"It's a long story," Artemis laughs.

"I'm not going anywhere." The girls can hear him sitting back in his chair and Artemis can almost picture him sitting on an angle with one foot on the floor and the other on the chair cushion. Same old James, always willing to listen to some story or problem. He usually had some good insight, too.

"Well, sounds like you've got a problem," he says after the girls relate their tale. "Overactive imaginations."

"What, you want proof for this too? Isn't the fact that you're talking to three coma patients enough?" Artemis groans. "You know, Jameson, you weren't this much of a skeptic before you joined the Air Force. I'll call you back."

She hangs up the phone and puts it in one of her coat pockets, where it disappears among the folds. Then she pulls it out again, looking at it thoughtfully.

"How are we going to prove we're in a video game?" Riley asks.

"With this," Artemis says, flipping open her phone again and snapping a picture of Riley and Risa. "Let's see how photogenic Axel is in the morning."

* * *

**Told you it was long, my longest chapter yet, so did you think that's a good thing or not? **

**Please let me know how I can make the story better. Oh, and I wonder how many of you caught the major foreshadowing moment in the 7th chapter ... _muhahaha_**


	10. Chapter X

**Welcome, I can't believe I'm in the double digits, yeah!**

**Thank you to all my loyal readers, and double thanks to those who have reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine**

* * *

Back in Riley, Risa, and Artemis' home world a cloud of worry falls over their families. One family member in particular, of Artemis', is learning of his little sister's puzzling condition.

"The MRI showed lots of brain activity," the doctor says, glancing at a clipboard.

"That's good, right?" Jameson asks, shifting his gaze from his unconscious sister to the doctor.

"Yes, it is, but she could be unconscious for days, months, or even years, there's no way to tell."

"What could have caused this?"

"Her classmates have been very nonspecific; they just keep saying they thought she fell asleep."

"So you don't know."

"I would say your sister's case was unique if two other girls hadn't come in today with the same condition."

"Wha-"

Before he can finish his query his phone beeps several times in rapid succession. When he sees Artemis' name on the screen he excuses himself and checks his inbox. Thirty-two new picture messages and one video message. Without a word he sits down and begins to go through them, saving the video for last. With each picture his eyes get bigger and bigger.

The girls in Organization XIII coats, taken with the aid of a full-length mirror.

Risa and Riley outside Castle Oblivion.

Riley and Artemis sparring with Keyblades. Artemis and Risa getting ready for breakfast in a large white kitchen.

Axel entering the same kitchen yawning.

All the pictures have the same theme, and each of them dated earlier that morning. Hesitantly he highlights the video message, unsure what to believe.

**Do you want to play this message?**

_**Yes.**_

Artemis and Riley are the first to appear onscreen, their gazes wandering to their surroundings.

"Is it recording yet, Risa?" Riley asks.

"Um… I think so," says Risa from behind the camera. "Yeah, it is."

"Great, thanks. Hey Jameson," Artemis says with a wave to the camera. "As you can see, at least parts of us aren't in comas, since the video is time coded." She points somewhere toward the bottom right corner of the screen, where Jameson can see the date and time of recording.

"We figured a video might be a good idea incase you thought the pictures were from an anime convention or something," Riley adds.

The camera pivots to show Castle Oblivion.

"I don't think we'd be able to build something like that, do you?" Risa asks, from behind the phone.

"Anyway," Artemis says, as the view shifts back, "you can't do _this_ at a convention."

She and Riley stretch out their right hands as two small black shadows creep across the ground toward their feet. Risa apparently notices this as well, because her voice cries out from behind the camera.

"Behind you!"

The phone falls from her hand and bounces a few times, blurring the picture. When the image clears it reveals a sideways image of the three girls fighting a handful of Shadow and Soldier Heartless with their own Keyblades. Jameson pauses the video and rubs his eyes making sure he's seeing what he thinks he's seeing. The image doesn't change, so he keeps playing the video. The girls are fairly adept with their blades and they dispose of the Heartless quickly, allowing their weapons to disappear in flashes of light.

"Hey, Risa," Artemis asks, putting her hand on Risa's shoulder. "Where's my phone?"

Risa looks over to where she was standing, trying to find it.

"Here it is!" she yells, running over to it. "Oh, look, it's still recording."

"Huh. Wonder if it caught the fight," Artemis says, taking the phone. Her face comes into view, excitement shining in her eyes. "So, James, now do you believe us?" she asks with a sly grin. At that point the video ends, leaving Jameson virtually paralyzed with disbelief and staring at a blank phone screen. He quickly regains some of his composure and, not trusting his voice, sends Artemis a text message saying, "I believe you. How can I help on this end?"

* * *

A day or so later, back in Castle Oblivion. Risa and Riley sit back to back, leaning against each other for support as they try to catch their breath. While Artemis is bent over clutching her knees, also worn out from their three-way sparring practice. "Lets. Stop," suggests Riley, in between gasps.

"Ok," pants Artemis, when they hear the familiar ring of her cell phone. "It's a text," she says, after pulling it out of absolutely nowhere, "from Jameson."

"What does it say?" asks Risa.

"He believes us, and wants to know how he can help."

"Unless, he knows how to navigate through the corridors of darkness…" comments Riley, "tell him to stall."

"Will do…"

"Why don't we take a walk?" suggests Risa as she stands.

"Sure," says Artemis, putting away her phone. Both Risa and Artemis walk out of the training room, but stop and face Riley when she doesn't follow. "You coming?" asks Artemis.

"Yeah, I'll be their in a sec" replies Riley, still sitting on the floor. The duo shrugs and begins to walk down the hall, towards the stairs. A second later, Riley warps in next to her friends, a smile spread across her face. "Told you" she states, and her friends just roll their eyes, "What? I need to practice." They walk down the steps to the sixth floor, the kitchen, then down to the 5th floor, the medical room, then finally the 4th floor.

"Pool?" the girls' question. As they re-read the sign, their eyes widen in excitement, "Pool!"

They look around for the women's locker room and after finding it walk in. The room is spacious with only two short rows of lockers. It leads off to a shower room, where a king size tube, big enough to fit ten people, resides, it reminds them of a Jacuzzi. Skimming over the lockers, Risa notices names engraved on them. Walking down the row, she notices they are in alphabetical order, first 'Alexis' then 'Artemis.' She does a double take and re-reads the names. Quickly running to the next row, she skims the 'R's' until she reads 'Riley' then 'Risa.'

"Hey you guys! We have our own lockers!" exclaims Risa. Both Riley and Artemis, search for their personal lockers and open them up to find a huge surprise. A pile of freshly washed towels, a small bag filled with hygiene supplies, and a black swimsuit. The girls quickly get changed into their personal suits. Grabbing a towel, the girls proceed through the shower room and into the pool area. The pool is Olympic length with a short diving board on the right end. Risa automatically throws her towel to the side and jumps into the pool, with Riley and Artemis following suit. They swim a few laps, diving up and down, to get use to the temperature. After a good forty minutes of underwater extrusions and cannonball contests, the girls separate to enjoy the pool in their own way. Riley sitting on the side, letting her legs dangle in the deep end, Risa floating in the middle with her extremely long hair spread out around her, and Artemis shifting through a cabinet off to the side.

"Hey guys, look what I found" says Artemis pulling out two super soakers. She hands one off to Riley before starting to fill her own.

"I bet they're Demyx's" says Risa, as she does the backstroke to keep herself afloat. Riley finishes filling up her own gun, when a familiar presence enters the room.

"What are you three up to now?" asks Axel. The girls find themselves staring in shock at the unusual sight of the Nobody, for instead of the traditional bulky, floor length coat; he's sporting a _totally_ different look. His outfit is his basic attire underneath the coat, mines shoes or a shirt for that matter; with a towel draped over his shoulder.

"Are you going swimming Axel?" asks Risa, shaking off the initial surprise.

"Of course not! I'm a fire elemental," he says, approaching the side of the pool by Riley. "I was about to take a shower when I heard the noise."

Unknown to Axel, Artemis makes her way behind him as Risa continues with the questions. "Do you even know how to swim?"

"Of course I do" he mumbles, just as Artemis gives him one strong shove, and into the pool he goes. The suddenly disturbed water slashes in all directions, as he sinks into the cool pool. He scrambles to the surface, with a look of pure annoyance across his face. His once dry towel off to the side, now soaking wet as it starts to sink and his usual spiked hair laying flat, his long bangs covering his eyes. Before he can get a word in edge wise, Riley and Artemis decided to put their super-soakers to good use. Then to top it off, Risa joins in on the slash fest from behind. Unable to fight back he dives down, and then comes back up, out of the range of fire. Before the girls can react, Axel goes on the offensive by creating waves bigger then their own. As a defensive maneuver both Artemis and Riley jump into the pool, armed and ready. Their combine waves distract him momentarily, as Risa quickly swims to her comrades' side as back up, causing a stalemate between the two parties. The girls' laughter and battle cries echo against the tiled walls, seeping out of the room. Even Axel cannot help, but curl his lips into a smile at the girl's simple pleasure.

"Well, well, well, who knew you had such a soft side Axel," says an unfamiliar voice. In turn Axel freezes in place and as he slowly turns around, all-splashing and laughter ceases. The voice belongs to a man about 26, with broad shoulders and tone muscles but not overly brawny. He has short dark brown hair and matching brown eyes, with a cat-like smile, grinning from ear to ear. Ordinary in every sense of the word; the whole sight makes a shiver run down the girls' spines.

"What do you want Maximus?" asks Axel, climbing out of the pool.

"Getting straight to the point, I see. I was just passing by, don't be so paranoid." He glances at the girls, making sure to make eye contact with each of them before returning his attention to Axel. "Careful not to get too attached Axel. Remember what happened last time you tried to hard to pretend to have a heart." He flashes a wink at the girls and swiftly walks out of the room, without saying another word.

"Who was that?" asks Artemis.

"Yeah, he gave me the creeps," adds Risa.

"A grade 'A' creeper."

"He's Ramses' second-in-command," response Axel, as he heads to the locker room, his fists shaking in anger. "Take my advice, stay away from him." The girls are left alone in the pool, confused at the strange exchange between Axel and this new Nobody, Maximus. Their fun now tainted by the after taste of their brief meeting with the second-in-command, they decide to get out and separate, to enjoy their remaining leisure time by themselves.

* * *

Later, in another part of the Castle, the Nobody Ramses is having a little trouble with his research. Shutting yet another book in frustration, he throws it to the side, landing with a thud, knocking over a stack of papers, and he just stares in annoyance at the stubbornly growing pile of worthless information. "Why can't I find anything concrete?" he mumbles to himself, and walks over to his wall, covered with notes. "All the documents I've found only date as far back as the end of the Keyblade wars, but before that…" He sighs at the lack of information, and decides that another trip to the library is in order. Thinking that walking there would help clear his head instead of warping, he walks out into the hall. Instead of the usually silence echoing down the hall, a quite but distinct melody greets him. Out of curiosity he follows the sound to the end of the hall where the girls', Riley, Risa, and Artemis, room is located. Now accompanying the music is a soft famine voice, singing along to the lyrics.

… _a winding road_

_That's taking me to places that I didn't want to go, whoa_

He listens a little longer, before opening the door to find out who the singer is. To no surprise, he finds the Oracle of Sound herself to be the source of the bell-like voice. She just sways back and forth, dancing to the music as she sings; so absorbed that she does not even notice the new presence in the room.

_Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors_

_I don't wanna ever love another_

_You'll always be my thunder_

_So bring on the rain_

_And bring on the pain_

_Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer_

_Do you know you're unlike any other?_

_You'll always be my thunder_

_So bring on the rain_

_Oh baby bring on the pain_

_And listen to the thunder_

As the song comes to an end, Ramses lightly applauses at the performance, "that was great." Riley jumps at the interruption, and panicky shuts off her ipod.

"R-Ramses!" stutters Riley, her face red hot in embarrassment, "Wha-what are you …um?"

"Doing here? Just passing by," he says, "so, who's the 'you', you were singing about?"

"No one! It's just a song" she quickly response, her face turning an even darker shade of red, "you, you shouldn't eavesdrop like that!"

"So says the queen of eavesdropping," he points out, "but seriously you were great. You have no reason to be embarrassed. Being the Oracle of sound and all, I bet you can even play an instrument or two like a professional, right?"

"The flute … but only because I've been doing it for like eight years," she says, "You're getting off topic. It's still not polite to enter without knocking first."

"Its not like no one has heard you sing before," he chuckles at the irony of her words. Riley just adverts her eyes, to flustered to look at Ramses' face. "Wait, no one has? I'm the first? Not even your family?"

"I don't like being the center of attention …"

"Well, I'm honored that I got to listen to such a beautiful and rare performance," he says turning to leave.

"Wait! We never got to finish our Q & A, during our last encounter," she quickly says, not really wanting him to leave quit yet.

"I think you made it pretty clear last time that you weren't going to tell me anything."

"But you never really answered me." He turns to face her, with an unreadable expression, waiting for her to continue. "What are you looking for? Is it really the source of our powers, or does it go deeper then that? Does it have something to do with the remaining two Oracles?" Ramses slightly stiffs at her last question, but refuses to break eye contact.

"Yes. They're missing."

"Missing?!"

"They no longer reside in your home world. I don't know where they are or how they left your world. I don't have the power to find them anymore."

"Power…?"

"You five have a peculiar scent about you, because you are neither of the darkness nor of the light. So I can track you that way, if I know your general location."

"Riku said something similar in Chain of Memories, …" she whispers to herself.

"Did, did you say Riku?!" he asks, his eyes wide in surprise.

"I didn't say anything," she quickly response, covering up her comment.

"Should've known you weren't going to tell me," he sighs, turning to leave again, "guess it can't be helped."

"Wait!" Riley exclaims not really wanting him to leave on such a sour note, "I was planning on going to dinner with Risa and Artemis. You should join us." She continues trying to think of a reason for him to stay a little bit longer, "They should actually get a chance to meet you, without your mask."

Ramses flashes the girl a smile, saying, "It can't be helped," and walks out.

* * *

Risa flings open the kitchen doors, unable to hold in her excitement. Now having the chance to cook in the biggest kitchen she's ever seen, she couldn't help but be over enthused. She all but skips into the room, when she spots a lone pot on the stove, the stove still on, and a half empty box of noodles on the counter. Walking over to turn off the stove she notices whatever was originally in the pot has evaporated. Completely perplexed, she looks around for who could have left the pot, until she spots the suspected Nobody sitting at the other side of the room, head down, hood up. She makes her way over, and carefully lifts the Nobody's hood to discover a mob of indigo hair.

"Naxiar?" she whispers, but he's fast asleep. She gently shakes him and repeats, "Naxiar."

"Nh?" he mumbles, turning his head slightly so one eye can be seen "What…?"

"You're asleep," Risa says.

"Not anymore" he replies, sitting up right, "Why are you here?"

"I'm going to cook. Why are you here … sleeping?"

"I was boiling some water for dinner," he says pointing to the empty pot, "but I got board." She can't help but laugh at the Nobody's ridiculous statement.

"Well do you want to help me make a proper dinner?" Risa asks, trying to stifle the giggles.

"Why not" he says standing up to stretch.

"Really?! That's great! 'cause I'll be needing the help if I'm going to be cooking for … three, five … a lot of people!" she exclaims. "And I know just what to make. My special spaghetti sauce from scratch." She immediately starts taking out the necessary ingredients and spices from various cabinets. While Naxiar, not really caring one way or another, follows Risa's commands, glad to finally have a decent meal to look forward to.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the 5th floor's training hall a certain redhead Nobody takes out his non-existent frustration on innocent by standing barrels and crates. The spinning blade of a chakram crashes into a barrel, sending the charred derby flying to only be burned to dust as the weapon makes its way back to its owner. Lighting it again, he throws the chakram once more, destroying two more barrels, an irritated scowl on his face.

"Damn that Maximus, making me look like a fool," mumbles Axel, catching his weapon on its return trip, "how dare he mention ... ahh!" This time he thrusts both of his chakrams setting the remaining barrels a blaze. During his mini-rampage another person entered the fire filled hall, and watches Axel with intrigue.

"What did the barrels ever do to you?" jokes the intruder.

"Is there a reason you're following me around, Artemis?" asks Axel, retrieving his chakrams.

"Believe what you want," she says, shrugging off his question, "are you still upset about what happened at the pool?" Ignoring Artemis, Axel returns to incinerating barrels. "Personally, I find it an honor to be compared to Roxas."

He pauses mid-throw at the mention of his best friend, "You know about that..."

"Oracle, remember?"

"Yeah, I've got it memorized," he says dismissing his weapons.

"You're done?" Artemis asks confused by Axel's actions.

"You want the room, don't you?"

"I was actually hoping I could see the famous Flurry of Dancing Flames in action," she says summoning her Keyblade.

"Famous, huh" he says, raising an eyebrow "never heard that before." His chakrams summed once again, Axel leaps forward accepting Artemis' invitation. She in turn focuses on blocking his attacks with a smile, happy to have brought the Nobody out of his mood. They exchange blows, switching between defense and offence when needed, moving about the room. Taking advantage of the spacious room, Artemis often jumps from crate to crate in order to avoid Axel's spinning flames.

"What, no pillars of fire?" she asks, a devious smile on her face as she jumps clear of a barrel just before it disintegrates into ashes.

"I thought I was being polite by restraining myself," says Axel lighting his chakrams for another attack.

"You being polite," she responses moving in closer, "never thought I'd see the day." A smirk spreads across his face, as his chakrams begin to spin faster and faster creating rings of fire, and flames shoot up from the ground. The pillars of fire surround the two of them, as they continue to fight. That is until a certain unforeseen incident occurs, between Artemis and the flames.

* * *

"What happened to your coat?" Riley asks Artemis, as she and Axel enter the kitchen. Evening had set and the Oracles gathered together for their meal, with three unexpected guests. Sitting at the counter, is not only her comrades, Riley and Risa, but also the Nobodys, Naxiar and Nauxrel, each with there own bowl of food. Artemis throws the scorched piece of fabric off to the side and sits down, just as Risa sets out two more bowls of noodles and sauce.

"Axel got carried away," says Artemis twirling her fork.

"Hey, I warned you," response Axel dipping his own fork into the food, "Its not my fault you couldn't dodge it."

"No fighting at table!" Risa scolds them, as she finishes setting out drinks and bread, "Its an insult to the chef."

"Yeah Arty, listen to mother," teases Naxiar.

"Don't call me Arty!" says Artemis glaring at the Nobody, "What're you guys doing here anyway? I got the vibe you didn't like us."

"You can't pick your family," he mumbles before shoving a fork full of spaghetti into his mouth, passing on the responsibility of an explanation to someone else. Picking up the slack, Risa goes on to retell the story of finding Naxiar in the kitchen, asleep, up until Nauxrel came into the picture. With an indifferent tone, Nauxrel calmly explains her presence, starting with her encounter with Ramses in the library and his reasoning behind the suggestion. All eyes then turn to Riley, as the explanation of why Ramses knew of their get together, falls on her shoulders.

"He caught you singing?" asks Artemis, as the story comes to an end, "That must have been awkward."

"You have no idea," replies Riley returning to her food, unwilling to discus the topic any further. The group eats in silence for a while, with only the occasional 'pass the bread', as the individuals think about a conversation topic. Naxiar in particular watches the Oracles, observing their habits as he tries to decipher them as individuals rather then just the Oracles of Senses. He stares directly across the counter at Risa, as she takes a sip from her soda, and notes how her indigo eyes always either expresses joy or worry. _Are some hearts really that restricted?_ He wonders as his gaze shifts to the more aggressive girl of the group, Artemis. _Even without her coat she doesn't have much of a figure._ He sighs at the memory of once being able to feel physical attraction to a woman. Finally, he turns his head to the girl sitting next to him. Riley's head is tilted down; her cheeks still tinted a light pink from the group's earlier conversation. _ Why would someone be embarrassed about something they're good at, I don't get girls._ He ponders letting his eyes fall back on his food when he realizes something.

"You three all have purple eyes," Naxiar says, referring to the Oracles. Everyone – minus Nauxrel – gives him a questioning look at his random statement.

"Huh?" asks Risa tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Is that a common color in your world or are you guys related?" he asks ignoring their strange stares.

"Don't ask ridicules questions, Naxiar" says Nauxrel, "no matter how new you may be." He in turn glares at her for the comment, about to retaliate, but is interrupted.

"Neither," Riley calmly states, answering his question.

"Riley, don't fuel his curiosity," scolds Artemis, and Riley just shrugs a response.

"What do you mean by new?" asks Risa, as she finishes up her bowl.

"Oh! I'm only a few months old," Naxiar says jabbing his thumb into his chest with pride. "It's the only reason I put up with all these gloomy personalities," he mumbles as an afterthought.

"I heard that," Nauxrel says indifferently.

"You know I mean no malice," he grins "can't feel it. Only the memory."

"How can you have memories of emotions, but not of your lives?" Risa mumbles, setting her dishes in the sink. "Oh! That reminds me, Riley filled me in on why Axel joined Ramses and the fact that you're _new _explains your history, but what about you Nauxrel?"

"I found him," she responses, handing Risa her own empty bowl, "wandering around Twilight Town, not long after he was created."

"Whoa! Back up," exclaims Artemis, "if you found him, why is he in charge?"

"He is very powerful."

"Ramses has a connection to the darkness that could rival Xemnas" clarifies Axel.

"Plus his split personality thing is kind of creepy" comments Naxiar, receiving a smack on the head courtesy of Axel as he walks over to the sink.

"So what's his real name?" Artemis questions, a mischievous look in her eyes. Surprisingly both Naxiar and Axel shake their heads in response, then all eyes land on Nauxrel.

She calmly stands saying, "Thank you for the meal. It was very good."

"Ah, your welcome" response Risa, as Nauxrel warps out of the room avoiding Artemis' question.

"She knows," Artemis says with a smirk and sense of victory. Axel rolls his eyes at the girl's antics, walking back to his seat.

" 'Fraid I'm off," he says, waving his hand idly, "we'll be going to a new world tomorrow, and won't be back for a while, so get some rest."

* * *

**Thank you again, and remember to review and spread the word. The more readers and reviewers the more motivated I will be to write swiftly. 'Till next time.**


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